Special Report: On Coyote Attacks and the Death of Canadian Folk Singer Taylor Mitchell

November 02, 2009

On Tuesday, October 27, two coyotes mauled 19-year-old Taylor Mitchell on a hiking trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada. Although Mitchell was hiking alone when the daylight attack occurred, two nearby hikers heard the commotion and called 911. Officers responded in time to shoot one of the coyotes. Airlifted to a Halifax hospital, Mitchell died of her injuries the next day.

Mitchell, a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award nominee, leaves behind grieving family and fans, a shocked wildlife community, and a public wondering whether coyotes are animals to fear.

The consensus among wildlife professionals is that a fatal coyote attack on a human is a freak occurrence. “If I had to guess what animal would be responsible for a fatal attack in eastern Canada I would have guessed black bear, never coyote,” says Mike O’Brien, the Nova Scotia DNR’s Manager of Wildlife Resources. O’Brien says coyotes first appeared in Nova Scotia in the 1970s, and there have been very few attacks on humans since that time. Incidentally, eastern Canada’s coyotes are significantly larger than their western relatives, often weighing well over 40 pounds, perhaps due to interbreeding with wolves.

“It’s very abnormal,” says Ron Andrews, Iowa DNR Fur Resource Specialist. “It’s as rare as you can get. Normally coyotes avoid close contact with humans. They usually turn tail and run.”

While the United States averages over 20 fatal dog attacks a year, there has only been one fatal coyote attack ever recorded in the U.S.: in 1981 a coyote killed a three-year old girl in California. However, as coyotes and humans continue to invade one another’s habitats, conflicts become inevitable.

Coyote-Human Conflict
Mitchell’s death will remain a horrific aberration, but more human-coyote encounters take place every year. Suburban sprawl creates coyote habitat, especially in dry southern California, where irrigated lawns boost rabbit and rodent populations while bird baths and swimming pools provide sources of water. In addition, humans leave food in the garbage, pets in the yard (suburban coyotes provide the ecological benefit of preying on feral and free-roaming pet cats that feed on songbirds), and, in some cases, people intentionally feed coyotes. So good is life in town that suburban coyotes live longer than “wild”coyotes.

Coyotes are almost never hunted and are rarely harassed in the suburbs. Consequently they know little fear of humans. As coyotes make themselves at home in suburbia, incidences of coyotes biting people increase. In the nine years from 1988 to 1997 there were 41 coyote attacks reported in California. The frequency of attacks rose to 48 in five years from 1998 to 2003. In nearly every case, there was food, a small child or pets present, all of which can be seen as a meal by an opportunistic coyote. In some instances coyotes attacked adults who were running or bicycling, which coyotes may interpret as flight behavior. Almost every attack recorded in the United States has taken place in suburbia, with most occurring between May and August, a time when coyotes need to feed their young.

Cape Breton Highlands Park
At first glance, the attack on Taylor Mitchell in a 367 square mile national park doesn’t fit the pattern of the usual suburban coyote attack, yet it’s an exception that proves the rule. Cape Breton Highlands is a very popular park, attracting large numbers of leaf-viewers in October. There’s a well-used campground near at the head of the Skyline Trail where Mitchell was killed. Coyotes frequent the area, having long ago learned to scavenge around the campsites. There is no hunting or trapping allowed in the park; coyotes associate humans only with food, not danger. Six years ago a healthy adult coyote bit a teenage girl on the same trail where Mitchell was mauled. A cross country skier in the park last winter fended off a pursuing coyote with a ski pole. Like suburban coyotes, coyotes in the park have adapted to life close to people and occasionally they approach curiously or aggressively.

Solutions
Your chances of being attacked by a coyote if you’re out hunting or fishing are virtually non-existent. Wild coyotes retain their fear of man. “If you make your presence known, show them you are the boss and in control, they won’t tangle with you,” says Andrews. “The worst thing to do is run away. That can stimulate an attack.”

It’s much more likely you will come into conflict with coyotes around your home. If you’re worried about coyotes, keep pets inside; reduce the amount of food (garbage, pet food, bird seed, fruit) around the house; prune and thin heavy cover. Consider building a fence, although be aware that a coyote can climb almost anything under six feet tall. Haze coyotes -- act in a threatening manner towards any you see, yelling, waving your arms, throwing rocks or shooting paintballs.

Many communities have responded to growing coyote populations with both lethal and non-lethal measures. The city of Denver has an organized hazing program in which both parks and recreation personnel and volunteers are trained to aggressively confront any coyote they see. Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado and non-lethal control advocate cautions: “Hazing works, but only if people stop feeding coyotes intentionally or unintentionally. The positive reinforcement of food overrides negative reinforcement of hazing. Coyotes are persistent.”

Dr. Robert Timm a University of California Wildlife Extension Specialist is the creator of CoyoteBytes.org, a website dedicated to urban coyote management. He believes hazing can be effective in the early stages of a coyote problem. Once coyotes begin taking pets, Timm says lethal controls are more effective. According to Timm, trapping, rather than shooting, quickly re-instills wariness of people in coyotes. Timm further believes it’s only necessary to take a few animals from an area, not try to wipe out an entire population.

The death of Taylor Mitchell, although a singular, tragic event, nevertheless stands as a warning: we need to find ways to deal with coyotes living close by, because they aren’t going anywhere. “They’re very adaptable animals,” says Andrews. “Long after humans are gone, cockroaches, crows and coyotes will still be here.” -- Phil Bourjaily

Comments (39)

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from Clay Cooper wrote 2 weeks 3 days ago

Just like California when the banned the hunting of “Felis Concolor” or commonly known as Mountain Lion or Cougar pending on what part of the country you in. After awhile as the predator became braver knowing now that Man is not the hunter and for them to fight back is futile, hikers and joggers became there favorite food. As with California other parts of the world, the same holds true!

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from KJ wrote 2 weeks 3 days ago

We exist in a food chain. We share the top spot with some other creatures. This is tragic for the family and friends of this young woman, these kinds of events are bound to happen from time to time. It's great to get out and enjoy nature, but you need to be aware that sometimes, nature is going to eat you.

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from WA Mtnhunter wrote 2 weeks 3 days ago

I always do my best at educating song dogs as to their place in the food chain. Near misses get a second chance.

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from idduckhntr wrote 2 weeks 3 days ago

My heart goes out to her family its a bad deal all around. Living out west in the Greater Yellowstone region I have learned to walk softly and carry a big stick, A thunder stick. I know people that wont even hike or walk into remote fishin hot spots because they are afraid of being eating, but as stated above the odds are slim to none that anything is going to happen to you. Clay I agree with you on the lions in Cal I greww up in in N Ca and there wasnt a problem untill the idiots decided to halt the season on the cute kittys.

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from Mike Diehl wrote 2 weeks 3 days ago

Whenever I'm hunting I'll shoot coyotes if I see them. Thing is, I very very rarely see them and they're always hauling axx to run away if I do see them.

It's regreattable that some musician had to be the victim. If they'd eaten Ingrid Newkirk, who'd complain?

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from Clay Cooper wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

WA Mtnhunter

First shot that misses isn't a miss, it's to get there attention before the second sends them to the Land of Yodel!

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from 007 wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

Ruger Super Blackhawk: Don't go bowhunting without it.
I do not trust those things, they're still a predator.

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from babsfish4life wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

Here is a coyote joke that I thought was funny:
When is the best time to shoot a coyote?

When you see one.

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from Clay Cooper wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

007

I carry my XD45 everyplace I go, even bow hunting!

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from Jerry A. wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

There was recently a coyote sighting in Forest park in the city of St. Louis. They are a tremendous problem in the suburbs in alot of the U.S. Just shows they need to be hunted more extensively. My heart goes out to the family Ms. Mitchell.

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from Chris Carpenter wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

Nothin a .22-250 can't fix. My heart also goes out to Ms. Mitchell's family.

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from salmonquest wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

This seems to me to be a good reasong for being able to carry in a national park.

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from Dana in NYC wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

We vacationed on Cape Breton island this August with another family and loved it. It is a seriously beautiful place. We hiked to several waterfalls and thought nothing of letting our 10 and 12 year old children run ahead, out of sight. Cape Breton has no bears or wolves. Few if any other predators. It was unconnected to the mainland until a causeway was built in 1955 (allowing bobcat and coyotes to migrate in). We didn't know there were coyotes and even if we did, would never have thought of them as a threat. The National Park provided no information or warning about the presence of these animals. Yet Park personnel were very efficient about collecting their daily use fees. Now I read that eastern coyotes are much bigger than western ones and may have interbred with wolves. It doesn't take a naturalist to see that there are not a lot of prey species in the Park but there are a fair number of people. So tragic that a young woman had to die this way.

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from T.W. Davidson wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

All:

When I first heard about the lethal-coyotes-attack-story over the radio, I didn't believe it. It seemed inconceivable. I thought,'those idiots are confusing wolves with coyotes.' That was a few days ago.

Tonight it is gorgeously beautiful outside here in NE TX. I've just returned from being in the night for the last several hours. Full moon, twinkling constellations, the North Star, a sky wiped by Windex. Light reflects off the grass, enough to see pretty well once one's eyes adjust to the darkness.

Coyotes were everywhere around me, though I didn't see any, nor was I particularly looking for any. They were anywhere from a few hundred yards to half a mile in a rough circle around me, different packs and individuals "talking" to each other on what was for them a busy night. My presence, if they were aware of it on this no-wind evening, didn't phase their intense and frenetic singing in the slightest. It was a regular 'As The World Turns' coyote soap opera out there.

As always when I'm out in the wilds, I was armed. I had a rifle with me fitted with an excellent scope. I wasn't the slightest bit afraid. It didn't occur to me to be afraid.

But after actually reading the lethal-attack-by-coyotes story for the first time a few minutes ago, I'm left to ponder just how safe things are, or are not, "out there." A touch more caution might be in order. And my Beretta M92 and a full spare clip might be in order, too.

TWD

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from jreed54 wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

My thoughts are with her family. This is a tragedy that in some way I am sure could have been avoided. With either not hiking alone or better population control or both.

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from ChuckG wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

All of you people talking about hunting the coyote really don't have a clue! It is fine to hunt them for sport if that's your thing but when coyote's feel the pressure being put on their population they have larger litters and employ other tactics to get their numbers back up (i.e. moving their den three times a day). Unfortunately you will never kill off the coyote. They are the ultimate survivor. Nature takes care of its own. When coyote population gets too high disease (such as parvo) and lack of food supply thin their numbers. Man has almost no effect on the coyote population and we never will.

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from Elmer Fudd wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

ChuckG, can't you see how important it is that wolves and coyotes have fear of humans? If the park was allowing the wrong kind of activities [letting people feed them] it makes it even worse. Allow some hunting and this sort of thing will stop.

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from Bella wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

I am interested in the notion of hazing coyotes with paintball guns although I'd be happy to shoot one with sumpin'smaller faster and harder. I remember like 15 years ago the first road killed coyote was found on rt 128 in Boston and the newspapers thought it sooo unusual. Now we have a coyote season too.

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from WA Mtnhunter wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

ChuckG has it right. We will never exterminate coyotes and cockroaches. They will be around long after we are gone from the earth. However, they are smart enough to maintain a 300+ yard buffer from my house :-)

The various rifles that I have owned in .257 Roberts and .308 have edgeumacated them pretty well!

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from j-johnson17 wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

Anti-hunters have to feel like they are starting to fight an uphill battle after stories like this... I wonder if you can carry firearms in this park? I'm betting that you can't, number one because it is Canada, and secondly because it is a National Park.

Even if you could, I'm betting that 99% of the visitors to the park wouldn't be carrying a firearm. I never leave home without one (at least one...:)

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from stick500 wrote 2 weeks 2 days ago

I thought for sure this story would pop back a couple of days after being posted with a "well, it seems that's not really what happened here..." Unbeleivable at first, but it appears to be true. One time a coyote was eyeing my two dogs as we were quail hunting in So-Cal. Didn't think much of it at the time, but now looking back maybe I should have taken a shot at him!

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from WA Mtnhunter wrote 2 weeks 1 day ago

Carry in National Parks? Not an issue. I have my rules and they have theirs.....

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from 007 wrote 2 weeks 1 day ago

ChuckG has a point in that we will never be able to control the coyote population. Like my son says, "we will all be long gone and coyotes, cockroaches, and Keith Richards will all still be here".

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from bamaoutdoorsman93 wrote 2 weeks 1 day ago

all of you are saying we wont be able to harm the coyote.Thats also what they said about the passenger pigeon. Dont see any now, do ya? Im not saying coyotes are gonna go down easy, and I doubt they ever will, but you never know. My prayers are with the family, very sad what happened to Ms.Mitchells. About a year ago, my friend and I were camping out. We had set a coon trap and put some sardines in it, hoping to get to see one. We only had a pellet gun, and didnt think anything would come. We had forgotten somthing at my house, and since we werent very deep in the woods, I volenteered to go get. I come back to see my friend shaking outside of the woods clutching his flash light to his chest. He had been roasting a marshmellow when he heard somthing. He looked up at the trap, which was about 15 ft from the fire, and saw a coyote wedged in the trap trying to get the sardines. He shot it in the but with the pellet gun (only about 200 fps) and hauled @ss out of the woods!! we went back to camp and heard another one walk right by the back of our lean-to later that night. Aside from that time, I always take a gun with me in the woods. That experience only reassured me how nessecary this is. If its a state park or a place where a fire arm isnt allowed, I take a co2 pellet pistol to scare stuff off if it comes to close.

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from Brian W. Thair wrote 2 weeks 1 day ago

The urban coyote population need management. "Hazing with paintballs?" That's beyond ignorance, that's stupidity. HELLOOOOOO ! ! ! Pop the ones you can find, every last one of them. Why? As you do that, you open space in the urban niche for others to fill. That's why I said "management". It ain't gonna end on Friday.

Now, Ms Mitchell was a fine musician. Her contribution to our civilization will be sorely missed by me and likely some others. Unfortunately, those 'Yotes were just trying to make a livng like anybody else.

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from Hobob wrote 2 weeks 1 day ago

Hunting coyotes will not ever make attacks on humans more likely so it should be used as a management tool on public lands.

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from willowa wrote 2 weeks 20 hours ago

You are all right about being prepeare, re: carrying a pistol. Canada, however, in it's infinite wisdom, doesn't allow them. (that's why, in a Canadian University study, violent crime has gone up in Canada 40% since the new, more gun reastrictive laws went into affect about 12-13 years ago.)
"No HONEST person has anything to fear from a LAW ABIDING citizen with a gun!" (criminals, by definition, don't care about the law!!)

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from khoff5190 wrote 2 weeks 20 hours ago

I feel for the family of Taylor Mitchell. Coyotes are becoming more and more abundant in my home state of CT and maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to harvest several from around towns and suburban areas, but most coyotes I have encountered have been very close to populated areas and they have wasted no time in running from me once they notice my presence.

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from HighCountry wrote 2 weeks 19 hours ago

What a shame. She was a great songwriter. I see plenty of coyote sign backpacking and hunting, but rarely the animals. There's plenty of coyote hunters in the area, though, so they stay away from humans for the most part.

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from coho310 wrote 2 weeks 14 hours ago

A coyote once was stalking me while I was in a golf course in McCall,Idaho,an hour north of my house in Boise,and I say,to save runners golfers and children,yes,children,set up yer' screamer calls and
AR-15'S on the fairway and let's have us a U.S. coyote open!HOORAH!

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from ailken wrote 2 weeks 3 hours ago

I live in Nova Scotia and I can say that most people here don't see coyotes, but there are alot of them around, you can tell by all the calling at night and the dissapearing pets. I can say that I have seen fleeting glimpses of them and yes, they do look different than the coyotes that I saw out west, they are darker and bigger. A group of us were hunting and as darkness fell we were actually pushed out of the woods by a pack of atleast 5 seperate coyotes. They are smart critters, but just let me get one in my crosshairs, only thing is, up here there might be one behind you!

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from natureguy wrote 2 weeks 2 hours ago

I live within the borders of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Sotia and have seen Coyotes several times in my neighborhood once even right across from my house.
Almost all have been seen early in the morning, just after dawn, when I usually walk my 2 Springers. This past May I was still walking them around 8 AM when I saw my dog look up and stare ahead. I knew he could hear or see something that had his attention. Just then a good size whitetail doe ran across the road in front of me -- about 15- 20 seconds later an extra large coyote,(it appeared to be as large as a big German Shepard),ran after her. The chase was on ! -- what happened-- I do not know. In winter I see their tracks in my backyard. Small game is common and that and the deer and garbage is likely why they are around. There is no hunting around here-- suburbs. I am 6' 4" and 225 lb. I have no fear of them however there are lots of kids attending the school down the road who walk to school and back to home. Perhaps they should walk in groups and not
singly. Most of them weigh much less and are much smaller then the unfortunate victim in Cape Breton. I am a hunter and I will now double check to see if I can legally shoot them etc. It wouldn't harm to have them be much more fearfull of humans. My thoughts are with her family who must be in such shock from this totally unexpected event that has taken their beautiful daughter.

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from rabbitpolice88 wrote 1 week 6 days ago

I see yotes all the time in N. GA. When you cut hay you cut hay, rats, mice, birds, snakes and sometimes rabbits. After a field has been cut wait a few hours and there will be yotes in the field.

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from Blackwater28 wrote 1 week 6 days ago

I believe all dangerous animals should be hunted to extinction. People used to think that way in this country 50 years ago but now that environmentalists have so successfully brainwashed people people are no longer willing to do what's necessary to keep their families and communities safe. We need to put an end to this crazy idea that the life of an alligator, or a wolf, or a bear or a coyote is more important than a human life. We also need to regain our rights to carry guns in parks. If this girl had a gun she'd be alive right now.

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from kodnocker wrote 6 days 14 hours ago

I don't necessarily agree with Blackwater28 on the extinction issue, but proper management of preditory animals is a must also. We cull our deer, elk, and other herds to ensure a good balance. Why not Preditors too! Overpopulation leads to starvation of animals, destruction of habitat, and urban intrusion. Living outside of a major city in the suburbs coyotes have become a problem in the city in which i live. When you have a preditory animal with access to domestic animals, trash, and children it is a serious issue. Communities with the "no projectile" laws should rethink this and let bowhunters take care of these urban intruders. Yes, humans do encroach on habitat, but other animals do the same to established communities. As a hunter and a father I say pick up your gun or bow and if the population of coyotes is large in your area do your best to "cull the herd". All preditory animals have their place in the food chain, but in good balance. Let us not forget that we as humans are actually the apex preditor.

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from T.W. Davidson wrote 6 days 13 hours ago

Blackwater28 . . .

Last time I checked, man is the most dangerous animal on the planet. We are quite capable of making ourselves extinct with the push of a few buttons here and there around the globe. Since you hold that "all dangerous animals should be hunted to extinction"--a notion I strongly disagree with, which every thinking, educated and intelligent person I've ever met would also strongly disagree with--shouldn't we therefore start with ourselves?

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from Arrowjay wrote 6 days 12 hours ago

Folks, any animal can be a "potential" hazard, even the one that lives in the house next door. It's best to always be cautious, especially when heading afield. Here on the farm I'll chase off anything that comes close to the house and barns beit a deer, moose, bear, fox, coyotes, rabbits, etc. I just don't want them thinking it's safe for them here when tough times hit the woods.

Blackwater28 - Exterminating "dangerous animals" just because we fear them religates the wildness of the outdoors to that of a zoo...and what fun would that be? Besides, even if Mitchell were allowed to carry a gun in the park...the question remains..Would she?

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from FETTY wrote 5 days 19 hours ago

were ilive cyotes are every where and have had some even on our front porch

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from Moishe wrote 5 days 15 hours ago

TO the guy who want's to exterminate all dangerous animals, start with yourself.

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