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Musician dies after coyote attack
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Taylor Mitchell, an 18 year old an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Toronto, died on Wednesday after she was viciously attacked by two coyotes while hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Officers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment in Cheticamp, N.S., responded to a 911 call placed from another hiker around 3:15 p.m. from the Skyline Trail, a popular hiking route in the park. When the officers arrived, they were in shock when to find two coyotes repeatedly attacking the young hiker.
The coyotes continued to act aggressively after officers arrived. Sgt. Leger got a clean shot on one of the animals; Sgt. Leger said that it managed to get up and limp away into the woods, its body has not yet been recovered. The second coyote fled into the woods as well and has not yet been spotted. Mitchell was airlifted to the QEII hospital in Halifax, where she later died of her injuries
Mitchell's Facebook page indicate she was on tour in the Maritimes on her "Atlantic Winds and Sea Shanties" tour. Earlier in the month she was nominated for the Canadian Folk Music Awards' Young Performer of the Year.
Medical reports say she suffered deep bite wounds and lacerations all over her body.
National Park staff is now conducting a search for the two coyotes, which will be destroyed if it is found, said Germaine LaMoine, a spokesman for the Cape Breton field unit for Parks Canada.
"The trail has been closed and it is secure," Ms. LaMoine said. "We're very concerned about public safety. That's foremost on our minds. We are keeping it closed until the animals have been located and disposed of."
LaMoine said that attacks in the park are not very common. In-depth tests will be conducted on the coyotes' carcasses if they are recovered to determine the cause of the attack.
5 miles long, Skyline Trail, is popular with hikers for its spectacular ocean views and whale-watching opportunities
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