Posted on 10/28/2009 12:33:10 PM PDT by Borges
Taylor Mitchell, a 19-year-old Toronto singer whose debut album was released in March, has died in a Nova Scotia hospital after being mauled by coyotes in a Cape Breton park.
Mitchell was hiking Tuesday on the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park when she was attacked by two coyotes. Another hiker, who was walking nearby, heard her cries for help and called 911.
Officers arrived about 3:15 p.m., and one of the coyotes fled into the bush. The other coyote was shot and limped away.
Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax, where she died early Wednesday.
"I spoke to her mother late last night and at one point we thought, she was stable," said manager Lisa Weitz, "but she had lost too much blood."
The singer and songwriter, who loved the outdoors, had started her East Coast tour on Oct. 23 in New Brunswick and was scheduled to perform in Sydney tonight. "She had a small break and (she) wanted to go hiking," said Weitz.
Mitchell, whose MySpace photograph has her standing in the woods with a guitar in one hand, released her debut album this March.
A website review describes her album as "a collection of mostly original songs that showcases a range of styles, from folk to country-rock to pop."
Born and raised in Toronto, Mitchell studied music from an early age and graduated in 2008 from Etobicoke School of the Arts.
She was very excited to be touring the Maritimes, said Weitz. "She was just exhilarated to be on the road and performing."
Friends and family are in shock, said Weitz.
In Nova Scotia, Don Anderson, a biologist with that province's Natural Resources Department, said coyote attacks in the area are uncommon, but they do happen from time to time.
An Ontario girl was bitten on the same trail several years ago, Anderson said.
Ethel Merry, owner of the nearby Cheticamp Motel, said the incident was unfortunate but she wasn't surprised to hear about it. She said the motel is about 10 kilometres from the entrance of the park but she often sees coyotes.
"My home is a 100 feet from (the motel) but if it's dark outside, I don't walk alone," she said. "I've seen too many coyotes."
Merry said the attack hasn't fazed locals or park visitors. "Skyline Trail is one of the most beautiful and famous trails in the park. This isn't stopping any hikers," she said.
The park is on the northern tip of Cape Breton Island.
I have a tough time believing it was a coyote, but I guess stranger things have happened.
Never ski and never hike by yourself...
That is a myth . Deaths from canids were always reported as from wolves or domestic dogs , if the person survived it was reported as a coyote . Same wildlife resources logic that defines alfalfa as non-food to deer , because the amount they consume so much it would deplete the depredation account if farmers were paid for it .
Our coyotes back east are also called ‘brush wolves’ - and are more wolf size than the western coyote. They are VERY shy of humans and you will seldom see them in the wild.
Since they did not get one of these animals to examine, I wonder if they might have been wild dogs - which are known to be vicious and do often attack humans.
I went after a group of them up in Oregon (with a club) and tried to chase them away from the Canadian Honkers they were stalking.They would move just enough that I couldn’t get a swing at them, The geese would watch them and just make a short flight of a few feet to get out of their reach.
I finally just left and had to back away as they followed me.
If I had fallen I am sure they would have been all over me in a second.
Coyotes by their nature are small, solitary animals. When I hear stories of: (a) bigger coyotes, and (b) coyotes in packs, I immediately suspect that the animals in questions are pure coyotes but coyotes that have interbred with wolves. These are more common in the Northeast.
I’ve been following coyote stories for years, and I have read of a few that have attacked children, or that bit an adult that was walking a small dog, but I have not ever read of an adult that was killed. Coyotes should all be killed, as far as I am concerned. I think they are a fringe predator that has grown exponentially due to the absence of wolves and cougars in their former territories.
She was in the hospital all that time and then died from blood loss?
Not in my experience. They hunt together to take down large dogs, and two or three at a time have attacked in our yard in broad daylight to get at the chickens. When they catch something, you can hear the howling of 5-10 of them, calling to the others to come join in the feast.
I wonder if she tried to scratch their ears.
Never go into the woods unarmed where there may be animals that can eat you. If it means breakingt the law, so be it. Of course, in Canada, just procuring a firearm to defend yourself with is a whole other thing.
Coyotes are Highly adaptable Opportunists.
If you act like Prey their Instincts take over.
She should have been carrying, That way You are the Predator.
This is sad. A promising young talent. Rest in peace Taylor Mitchell.
Wow, that is so sad Cape Breton was the most beautiful place I have ever been on earth. May the Lord have mercy on her, how terrible.
Canadian Deathcare.
Yikes!!!
not to be morbid, but how good is a coyotes sense of smell? if it was this girl's 'time of the month' might they have smelled it and attacked thinking she was wounded?
i have heard similar stories but thought they were pure urban legend.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.