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Taylor Mitchell

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Taylor Mitchell

Taylor Josephine Stephanie Luciow, known by her stage name Taylor Mitchell, (August 27, 1990[4] – October 28, 2009) was a Canadian folk singer. She is the only adult person known to be fatally attacked by coyotes.

Personal life

Mitchell was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[5] She graduated from the Etobicoke School of the Arts with a major in musical theatre.[6]

Career

Mitchell had independently released an album titled For Your Consideration in March 2009.[5][7] In June 2009, she was invited to perform in the Winnipeg Folk Festival the following month.[8] A few days before her death, Mitchell was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award for Young Performer of the Year.[4]

She started a tour of the Maritimes on October 23, 2009, and was to perform in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. She was scheduled to perform in Sydney, Nova Scotia on the night of her death.[5][9]

After her death, her album For Your Consideration was made available for download at the iTunes Store.[3]

Death

On October 27, 2009 Mitchell was hiking alone during the afternoon on the Skyline Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia. During her hike, she was attacked by two coyotes. During the attack, some other hikers came across the scene, managed to scare the animals away and called 911. When emergency crews arrived, she was taken to a hospital in Cheticamp and then airlifted to Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax in critical condition. She died overnight.[1]

An officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) later shot a coyote in the park though the officer could not find the carcass. In the evening, park staff located another coyote and killed it, though there were no signs on its carcass that it had been shot. It is estimated that there were five or six coyotes in that area of the park.[1]

In an interview with The Gazette, Brad White, a coyote expert at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont. said they might have been coyote-wolf hybrids. However, Don Anderson a biologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said he's seen no reason to suspect the animals were coyote-wolf crosses. Don Anderson noted there are no wolves in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Stan Gehrt, a coyote expert at Ohio State University's school of environment and natural resources suggested that the coyotes were rabid.[10]

Bob Bancroft, a Nova Scotia wildlife biologist, suggested that the coyotes were inexperienced hunters - hungry and desperate yearlings - and that their predatory instinct was triggered by the singer fleeing instead of standing her ground.[11] In The Gazette, Stan Gehrt thought this might be why the coyotes attacked: "Most canids (coyotes, foxes, and wolves) will attack prey that begin to run away from them. Maybe that's what she did. Unfortunately, there are no witnesses." [10]

It was the first fatal attack by coyotes since they were introduced on Cape Breton Island in the 1970s by park wildlife officials to control a rabbit population that threatened new tree seedlings.[11][12]

Mitchell was only the second fatal coyote attack on a human ever recorded in North America.[13] The first occurred in the United States[14] in August 1981, when 3 year old Kelly Keen was attacked by a coyote outside her home in Glendale, California, United States.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Coyotes kill Toronto singer in Cape Breton". CBC.ca. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  2. ^ "CDbabay.com profile". Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  3. ^ a b iTunes Store. "For Your Consideration". Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  4. ^ a b "Cape Breton coyote attack kills touring folk singer". CTV.ca. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  5. ^ a b c Aulakh, Raveena (2009-10-28). "Toronto singer killed by coyotes". The Star. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  6. ^ "Toronto singer killed by coyotes". The Globe and Mail. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  7. ^ Boles, Benjamin (March 17-14, 2009). "Disc Review: Taylor Mitchell - For Your Consideration (Independent)". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2009-10-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Coyotes kill Toronto singer". London Free Press. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  9. ^ "Coyote attack silences emerging Toronto talent". CBC.ca. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  10. ^ a b "Coyote attacks on humans extremely rare: Experts". The Gazette. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  11. ^ a b Alison Auld, Cape Breton News: Coyotes kill teen folk singer in Cape Breton park (local comments by local readers), last updated at 12:10 AM on 29/10/2009
  12. ^ Alison Auld, "Young folk singer dead after attack by coyotes in Nova Scotia park", Canadian Press, October 28, 2009
  13. ^ "Coyotes kill woman in Cape Breton". CBC News. 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  14. ^ Coyote Attacks on Children
  15. ^ A History of Urban Coyote Problems, Robert M. Tim & Rex O. Baker, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2007
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