Mother of Canadian Singer Killed by Coyotes Asks That the Animals Be Spared

By IAN AUSTEN
New York Times, November 1, 2009

Even in a country with a lot of wilderness, it was a shocking death. Taylor Josephine Stephanie Luciow, a promising 19-year-old folk singer from Toronto who performed under the name Taylor Mitchell, was attacked by two coyotes as she set out for a hike in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, one of Eastern Canada's leading tourist destinations. She died late Tuesday night in Halifax, where she had been airlifted for treatment.

The reaction of Ms. Mitchell's grief-stricken mother was perhaps more unusual: Emily Mitchell issued a statement to news organizations in which she asked authorities to spare any coyotes involved in the attack.

"We take a calculated risk when spending time in nature's fold — it's the wildlife's terrain," she wrote. "When the decision had been made to kill the pack of coyotes, I clearly heard Taylor's voice say, 'Please don't, this is their space.' She wouldn't have wanted their demise, especially as a result of her own."

Even before the statement appeared, a Parks Canada conservation officer had already killed one coyote that was behaving aggressively. And a police officer who came to Ms. Mitchell's aid thought he had shot and injured a second coyote.

Attacks by coyotes, even minor ones, on people are very unusual. Chip Bird, the Cape Breton field superintendent for Parks Canada, said that over his 30-year career, he had never seen a serious attack until last week, although six years ago a coyote "nipped someone's arm" in the park.

The trail where the attack occurred was still closed on Sunday afternoon, and a team from Parks Canada was continuing to study the coyotes in the area, which number about five. Mr. Bird would not rule out further killings if there were other dangerously aggressive animals, but he added that Ms. Mitchell's wish might be honored.

"We really have a lot of sympathy for her perspective," he said. "We're not out here conducting a general cull."