Canadian hiker dies after coyote attack

October 29, 4:41 PMBay Area Hiking ExaminerSusan Alcorn

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Coyotes are generally shy, but unfortunately they can become habituated to being near people.

Susan Alcorn

This past Tuesday, Taylor Mitchell, a folk singer from Toronto was attacked by two coyotes while she was hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada. Although she was hiking alone, she was on the park's popular Skyline Trail. When other hikers came upon the scene, they managed to chase the coyotes off and call 911.

Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax in critical condition, but she died during the night. According to sources, there has not been another death reported in North America from a coyote attack since 1981 when a 3-year-old girl in Glendale, California was attacked.

The park staff found and killed one coyote and at last report were continuing their search for a second one. Coyote attacks are very rare and authorities are investigating why this attack occurred. Park superintendent Helen Robichaud offered some possibilities — that the animals were defending a food source or that they might have been ill.

In Chronicle Herald.ca, Jon Way, who runs Eastern Coyote Research in Massachusetts and has studied the animals for 12 years, said that he doubted that rabies was involved because two animals were traveling together. He, as other experts, is perplexed by this recent attack.

Coyotes, who weigh about 40 pounds, are usually shy animals, but in places where they have become habituated to humans, they may lose that reclusive nature. 

Recommended strategies for minimizing coyote/human interactions (these guidelines are similar to those when encountering a black bear):

1. Don't feed wildlife — by giving handouts or by leaving pets' food or household food scraps accessible. 
2. If approached by a coyote, make yourself look larger. Stand tall, raise arms or hiking poles above your head. Maintain eye contact and do not run, which may trigger a predator/prey response.
3. Keep an eye on young children and if an animal approaches, lift the child so that you both look more formidable. 
4. Discourage them from being around humans — throw rocks in the animal's direction, yell, bang pans, etc. 

For more information about coyote and human interactions:
Coyotes and People 
Project Coyote
Living with Coyotes