A new and unusual theory has emerged about the coyotes that killed an up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriter while she was hiking in Nova Scotia 13 years ago.
Investigators have claimed that coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park had adapted to limited food supplies leading up to the October 27, 2009 Taylor Mitchell attack.
They had hunted larger animals and learned how to hunt and kill larger animals such as moose.
Stanley Gehrt, lead author of a paper recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, said Mitchell may have fallen victim to this newly developed trait.
Mitchell’s violent death was only the second fatal coyote attack on record in North America. She was 19 years old at the time and was about to embark on a solo tour to support a promising musical career.
A new and unusual theory has emerged about the coyotes that killed up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell on a hiking trail in Nova Scotia 13 years ago.
Investigators have claimed that on Oct. 27, 2009, when Taylor Mitchell set out alone in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, resident coyotes, similar to this one, had adapted to limited food supplies and attacked her.
‘When [coyotes are] used to taking a 300-pound animal, and you have a single woman walking alone, it seems perfectly natural to assume they just saw her as a new food,” Gehrt told CTV News Atlantic.
Our argument would be that [the coyotes’] the ability to survive… is related to their ability to transition from one food source to another. And this one [coyotes] we ate a diet consisting entirely of moose.”
Paramedics found Mitchell bleeding profusely with bite marks all over her body after other walkers alerted them to the dying singer-songwriter’s desperate cries for help.
Mitchell died of her injuries in hospital, and the mauling garnered international attention and wild speculation about the coyotes’ behavior.
Coyotes have been known to track down the remains of dead moose, but Gehrt’s research has now found that the park’s population actively hunted the animals.
‘At least a [moose] carcass located during winter tracking of coyotes showed signs of predation, and on other occasions live adult moose were observed with fresh wounds consistent with coyote bites, in addition to coyote tracks leading to the moose,” the study, supported by Parks Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, said.
Coyotes in the park resorted to “prey rotation” because their typical prey, primarily snowshoe hare and white-tailed deer, were scarce at the time, the study adds.
The park’s unique ecosystem supports only a small population of rodents, which can otherwise support coyotes that have little else to eat.
Gehrt said it’s worth noting that the park’s coyotes aren’t exposed to chasing or trapping, meaning they have no natural fear of humans.
“They had conditioned themselves to go after big prey, and this was a small thing,” he said.
Historically, coyote attacks are the result of exposure to human food, but that wasn’t the case with Mitchell.
Of the five coyotes killed after the deadly attack, including the two directly responsible, none showed that they had eaten human food beforehand, the study said.
The 19-year-old rising star was in between performances when she was killed by coyotes while out for a walk, according to a Nova Scotia Cape Breton Highlands National Park official
Mitchell was a “seasoned naturalist” well-versed in wilderness camping and would not want the coyotes responsible for her death killed, her mother said at the time of her death in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Gehrt stressed that the attack on Mitchell was related to the park’s unique ecological features, which have changed over the years.
The moose population has been reduced and the snowshoe hare population has recovered, meaning live moose are no longer on the coyotes’ menu.
“I don’t see the coyotes in Cape Breton as more dangerous than other coyotes at this point,” he said.
Also, park employees are now less tolerant of aggressive animals.
“The Cape Breton system is producing some new types of behavior, but it’s temporary,” Gehrt said.
“The fact that we haven’t had anything like this puts it back into context. It is manageable by raising people’s awareness. We can keep the risk extremely low.’
Mitchell was airlifted to hospital in critical condition after the brutal mauling, but doctors were unable to save her.
The Toronto star was an emerging folk and country musician who was nominated in 2009 for a Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category.
She was out and about in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, in the east of the country, when the attack happened.
Normally shy, it was reported at the time that the coyotes may have mistaken the singer for a deer.
Paul Maynard, from Emergency Health Services, said she had ‘lost a significant amount of blood from her wounds’.
Police quickly arrived and managed to shoot one of the coyotes, apparently wounding it.
In October 2009, CNN reported that those who knew Mitchell said her passion for her craft was unmatched by her affinity for nature.
Fresh out of high school, she embarked on a three-week tour of Eastern Canada in hopes that her thriving career would pick up again upon her return.
The 19-year-old rising star was in between performances when, according to a Nova Scotia Cape Breton Highlands National Park official, she was killed by coyotes while out for a walk.
“If there can be any consolation, it’s knowing that Taylor did two of the things she loved most, sharing stories and songs along the way and spending time in nature’s flock,” her manager, Lisa Weitz, said in an email. – email to CNN.
“She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity.”
Mitchell was a “seasoned naturalist” who was well-versed in wilderness camping and would not want the coyotes responsible for her death killed, her mother said at the time.
“When the decision was made to kill the group of coyotes, I clearly heard Taylor’s voice say, ‘Please don’t, this is their space,’” Emily Mitchell, her mother, said in 2009.
“She wouldn’t have wanted their downfall, especially as a result of her own downfall. She had a passion for animals, was an environmentalist and also planned to volunteer at the Toronto Wildlife Center in the coming months.
“Tragically, it was time for her to be taken from us.”
The Toronto-based musician’s career took off in April, the year she passed away after the release of her debut album ‘For Your Consideration’.
On her Facebook page, she described her busy summer schedule, describing it as her “craziest summer yet.”
Coyotes, also known as coyotes, are found throughout North and Central America.
Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft said at the time that attacks are extremely rare because the animals are usually very shy.
The retired biologist from Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources said it was possible the animals mistook Miss Mitchell for a deer or other prey.
“It’s very unusual and unlikely to happen again,” he said.
“We shouldn’t assume that coyotes will suddenly become the big bad wolf.”