Coyotes kill Toronto singer in Cape Breton

[Swede]

I've never heard of coyotes killing anyone before.


A 19-year-old folk singer from Toronto has died after being attacked by two coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Taylor Mitchell died overnight at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/10/28/ns-coyote-attack-died.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. Huh? That makes no sense. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. Every Coyote I've seen is small. Can't imagine 2 killing an average sized person

[Captain Hilts]

33. And they're not aggressive unless you do something stupid or aggressive. nt

[dflprincess]

34. Rabid or some other illness?

That might cause them to be more aggressive.

[Captain Hilts]

41. Yes, that certainly could do it. nt

[girl gone mad]

80. Rabies came to mind when I read this.

But I've known coyotes to be aggressive. My son takes a big, heavy flashlight with him when he walks alone at night because the neighbors have had coyotes nip at them before. Coyotes avoid humans in general, but I think when they are in hunt mode they might attack human legs or arms, mistaking a limb for smaller prey. There have also been reports of coyotes carrying off unattended babies and toddlers.

[Echo In Light]

2. There's a Wily E. joke here somewhere...

[NashVegas]

3. Or a Joni Mitchell Song

[Tom Rinaldo]

19. What about these?

http://www.myspace.com/taylormitchellband

They are by Taylor. I'm sure you can twist them into a joke if you try.

[crim son]

4. Whoa.

What a horrible way to go AND remind me not to camp at Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

[Posteritatis]

13. First incident like that I'd ever heard of, and I've lived near it for 28 years

But let's kneejerk off a single incident; that's the way things are done these days.

[crim son]

Oh brother.

I'm in Maine and have been there many times myself. I was joking. But let's kneejerk and assume everybody is a moronic idiot; that's the way things are done these days.

Do you really think my comment was worth responding to in asshole mode? I am so tired of this crap on DU. Just letting you know.

[AspenRose]

22. +1

[Posteritatis]

24. Honestly? yeah

The whole "we need to shun entire regions because of a single totally unprecedented event in the news" attitude that I've been seeing in multiple places in response to this is boring at best, contemptible at worst, and common enough that assuming you weren't joking is a safe enough guess.

When it comes to basic risk assessment, I do assume most people are moronic idiots, and in this day and age I'm right to do so. Cope.

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SoCalDem]

18. Animals are stressed to the max these days too..

Coyotes used to be skittish about humans, but we have encroached on their territory for so long, that they don't fear us anymore..of course their food & water sources have been compromised, so they do what they have to.. they move in on humans, and after a while they are desperate enough to do whatever it takes:(

That poor young person.. I wonder if one of the coyotes punctured an artery.. It's rare for an adult-sized human to die from a coyote attack..

[crim son]

20. Confer on the matter with Posteritatus (my other respondent).

S/he apparently has an intimate knowledge of the details of this tragedy, if indeed it is one. :sarcasm:

[Barack_America]

5. How bizarre and tragic.

I have never heard of such a thing.

[Robb]

62. Neither had I.

Although Google tells me Paris Hilton had a pair of dogs killed by coyotes.

Yet another useless piece of information I now will carry to the grave.

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. Everyone's a critic

Just teasin'! This is a horrible tragedy and condolences to the families involved.

[closeupready]

7. Obviously, this is horrible and tragic. But to attempt to find a silver lining,

this could be a result of effective conservation - that is, because widescale hunting is no longer commonplace, perhaps animals are reverting back to a natural state, where they see humans not as threatening beings with guns, but potential prey.

But my heart and sympathy go out to her family and friends. :(

[YOY]

8. Only time I've heard of coyotes attacking was in cases of rabies.

This is really strange.

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. She seems to have been a lovely person

I never heard of her before but I found her Facebook page. Here is her last blog entry about the start of her tour - written about a week ago. I am feeling very sad right now.


"Tour Blog #1
Oct 19th
11:25 PM

I just finished my first “official” show of the tour. A house concert presented by Dean Verger and his lovely wife, Ruth. House concerts are beautiful things. The performers are given an interested and well behaved (usually) audience, %100 of door and merch, plus wonderful home cooked meals and a room for the night. The people who open up their homes and run these shows are absolute saints. I could definitely get used to doing these.

The concert was a welcome dose of normality after a whirlwind weekend. The 72 hour non-stop party known as the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF for short) is hectic, exhausting, exhilarating, frustrating, and joyful. All at the same time. Once a year the Canadian folk music Industry (yes, I said it, the “I” word. Go ahead and call me a capitalist) converges on the Crown Plaza hotel in Ottawa for a weekend of schmoozing, boozing, listening, and discovering great music. This was my third OCFF and the best one yet. I got absolutely no sleep and made some new friends and connections. My favourite part of the weekend is always the last night, which is total chaos and takes a week to recover from. Walking through the lobby the next morning and watching the other zombie musicians who are just as tired and hung-over as you really makes you feel like you’re part of a community. As we pass each other, dragging our lifeless bodies to the Tim Hortens, we remove our aviators, revealing the dark canyons under our eyes and smile half heartedly. While last night we toasted tequila and beer bottles, this morning we toast coffee and tea, desperately hoping it will help us attain some level of consciousness…though deep down we know it won’t. In the end, we’re all in this together, and these late nights spent having fun and doing what we love affirms this, year after year.
I discovered and re-discovered some great music this weekend. Run, don’t walk to your nearest computer and check these people out:
Josh Cockerill, The John Henry’s, Jadea Kelly, The Rucksack Willies, John Davis, Katherine Wheatley, Namgar, Stacy Burke, the Good Lovelies, Ariana Gillis, David Baxter, Jack Marks, and David Celia. They are all amazing and working their asses of to do what they love!!!

Next show is on Friday at the Bridge St. Café in Sussex, NB. It should take me three days to get there. I’m looking forward to a beautiful drive spent listening to all the new music I picked up over the weekend. Here are the stats of the day:

Favourite color: Red, like the leaves on the beautiful Ottawa trees.
Favourite food: Soup. Mmmmmmm.
Favourite drink: Peach rooibous tea. I cannot describe the happiness brought by a warm cup of tea.
Thought of the day: Fuck. I’m tired.
Word of the day: Cozy
Song of the day: Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Item I wish I had: an Iphone or blackberry or other portable internet device.
Item I’m glad I brought: extra good hand lotion.

Goodnight to all. I’ll write again as soon as I find an internet connection.

Much love,
Tay

[mb7588a]

10. I hiked that very trail last August.

It is the most amazing hike I have ever been on. You start at a parking lot and head down a road then reach a long winding path that goes over a couple bogs with wood plank walks.

Along the way we saw several Momma moose with younglings, two Daddy moose with huge antler racks, a black bear that walked directly at me and my sister-in-law. At the end of the trail, you reach a cliff that has several levels of lookouts where you can see multiple pods of pilot and minke whales because of the point of view.

I'm sorry that this happened to her, and that the Skyline Trail is closed.

Nova Scotia is one of North America's hidden gems, and the Highlands National Park is like a different world. I highly recommend all make a visit.

[newspeak]

12. we have coyotes here

I've thrown a rock at one when he came too close. (I had dogs). He just turned and looked at me and casually loped on. However, my uncle (who was an honest to God roam the prairie cowboy) told me that he was on the trail and this coyote attacked him and his horse. It was rabid. I also wonder if the coyotes were rabid.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

11. I have to admit, this is the first time that I can remember hearing about a coyote attack.

This is a sad story. I can't imagine what her family & friends are going through. There's not much that can take the place of a solitary hike in the mountains, but maybe I'll start taking a walking stick just in case.

I do a lot of hiking around here and have had a few close encounters with them, but they always keep their distance. I did have one tracking me a few years ago, but it might have just been making sure that I wasn't going to hurt her youngsters.

Story on how rare these attacks are:
http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/coyote_attacks.html

Link to a local Bobcat (rabies) attack on a cyclist.
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?Q=168395&A=11

[Mrs. Overall]

16. The only one I have heard of was a year or so ago in Southern CA involving a toddler:

I found the news article:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4811654&page=1&page=1

[Altoid_Cyclist]

27. It is extremely rare for an adult to be attacked by coyotes.

If these coyotes are found to be rabid, that would help explain the attack. I know that the one problem that we're having around here is the amount of natural habitat being destroyed in the name of progress.
People whine about bears, deer and coyotes being too close to them despite their houses being built in what used to be heavily wooded natural landscapes.

They've destroyed so much of the wildlife's natural habitat that close encounters are inevitable now. As usual, the animals are usually the losers one way or another.

There's a area a few miles from here called Scotch Valley. It's about 6 - 8 miles in length. On one side of the road, a lot of it is still undeveloped and/or farmland. The other side is almost completely filled with row after row of this:


I'm about the only person around here who prefers the natural undeveloped side. Everyone else thinks that the McMansions are just so pretty and a huge improvement over fields and trees.

[Xithras]

45. Coyote attacks on children happen every few years.

Children are more in line with the size of their normal prey. Coyotes don't have the size or endurance to mount a prolonged attack on a much larger animal. That's why attacks on adult humans are extremely rare, and normally only happen when the animal is sick or injured.

[girl gone mad]

81. From reading a comment above about moose in the area..

I'm wondering if these coyotes might be adept at teaming up to kill larger prey. In a sleeping bag, she could have been mistaken for a small, sleeping moose. Just a thought.

[uppityperson]

14. "Bancroft advises hikers to be alert and leave their iPods at home..also suggests carrying a knife"?

I've never heard of this, that is really odd and sad.

"carry a knife"? I have a pocketknife on me, wonder if that would do, or should I carry a big kitchen knife or cleaver? Odd advice

[northzax]

21. pocketknife? useless. you won't have time to pull it out

and open the blade. for any use, you need a straight knife (I have an old dive knife I keep strapped to my shoulder strap, good for all sorts of things) but in many ways, it's like carrying a handgun for bear protection in the Rockies, unless you have a heck of a big gun, and a heck of a good shot, your pistol ain't stopping a pissed off grizzly.

[Marr]

58. I guess a survival knife couldn't hurt... but it seems dumb.

If you're wrestling with a dog or a coyote, you're already being bitten. You'd be better off with a few rocks or a good stick, I'd say. I mean... if you wanted to protect yourself from a severely unlikely coyote attack.

I was actually attacked by dogs on two separate occasions, oddly enough. Can't imagine a knife having done much good. Rocks did well enough the first time. A bat I happened to be carrying did wonderfully the second time, but a knife..? You have to be in biting range to do anything with a knife.

[bertman]

15. I read a story in one of the outdoor mags ten or twelve years ago about a hunter who

was bow-hunting deer from a tree stand in Indiana (I think). This guy was former Special Forces and an experienced woodsman. While climbing down from his stand something happened and he slipped and got caught hanging upside down on the trunk of the tree about five feet above the ground. When he fell he cut himself on one of his arrows and the blood started dripping down his arm. He couldn't extricate himself so he tried to remain calm and think of how to get out of the mess, but soon after his accident he said a group of coyotes started prowling around the tree. At first he was able to scare them by yelling and waving but when they realized that he couldn't get away they started trying to get to him.

He began yelling and was lucky that some other hunters heard him and came over and ran the coyotes off. He said that he would likely have been killed if those other folks had not shown up.

That article was in "Outdoor Life" or "Field and Stream" or some other magazine of that genre.

[Berry Cool]

17. What a horribly sad story.

She sounds like such a sweet person, so young and just at the very beginning of her life and her career.

[optimator]

23. then they randomly kill coyotes

for revenge. it makes me sick.

[backwoodsbob]

56. nothing to do with revenge

we have a $50 bounty on coyotes here.

They aren't cute little dogs..they WILL attack in groups if they think they have the upper hand

[Peace Patriot]

26. Does it occur to anyone that this could be disinformation, or

a report based on incomplete information (innocent mistake)?

I can think of motives for wrongly blaming the coyotes (say, if she died on the trail from other causes, and they merely bit chunks of her body). For instance, do local or corporate ranchers or loggers want to shoot coyotes, and the powers-that-be want to let them, but needed an excuse? Or do they want to justify a coyote-shooting concession (make money off it)? Or maybe they just have some keen new weapons they want to try out? Or they want to rent the park to Blackwater for "training"?

On the innocent front, has there been an autopsy, and are its results public? I can't go to the link right now, but this is such an extremely rare occurrence (coyotes attacking humans) that a full investigation is warranted. There are a lot of things that can cause someone to drop dead, many of them hidden. Is there really sufficient evidence that the coyotes did this?

[BreweryYardRat]

36. You're edging into full-blown paranoia with the first half of your speculation.

Please tell me you're not serious. If it was a Republican party apparatchnik who'd died, some skepticism might be in order. Kill two birds with one stone, and all that. But a folk singer?

But I'll agree with the innocent front. Unless she was found with a major blood vessel ripped open by coyote teeth, odds are she dropped dead of natural causes or something. (Or went unconscious from natural causes and got killed then.)

[Posteritatis]

49. Being found under attack by coyotes often constitutes evidence of a coyote attack. (nt)

[Posteritatis]

48. Wow. Just wow.

First, it happened in a national park in a part of Canada where the natural resource industries are actively fleeing. There are no ranches up the sides of mountains on Cape Breton Island.

Second, it's in Canada; Blackwater doesn't exactly control the government of Nova Scotia.

Third, other hikers came across the attack and drove the coyotes off.

Fourth, the woman died mere hours ago, so of course there hasn't been a publicised autopsy report yet.

Fifth, it tends to be obvious if someone was, you know, killed by carnivorous animals.

I'm not sure what circumstances would make it so that you couldn't click the link but could take the time to hurl that amount of tinfoil hattery around here. Maybe you should at least glance at news articles before reacting to them?

[Peace Patriot]

53. Sorry, I couldn't go to the link. I was having computer trouble. So I didn't know that

there were witnesses. But I do live in a rural area and know some of the pressures that are brought to bear to kill wild animals whom we presume are encroaching upon us but the reality is the other way around--we have crimped their territories to extinction, in some cases, and have recklessly destroyed ecosystems and species. I am familiar with rancher cultures which consider wild predators to be pests, and furthermore oppose parks policy when they try to re-introduce wild predators back into an ecosystem. So it was not paranoid to ask if there were such pressures on this park--and I tried to explain what those pressures might be, and give examples. Also, Canada has a very rightwing government, and Blackwater is known to be looking for bases of operations (San Diego, for instance, and Colombia). I don't think it's outlandish at all to suspect such motives in this story, because coyotes simply don't attack humans, except in extremely rare circumstances (such as rabid coyotes, or serious provocation and cornering). They do, however, sometimes attack livestock and pets. I was wondering if there were such grudges against coyotes in the region. Also, we don't know for sure what the witnesses actually saw. If it was literally coyotes going out of their way to attack a human hiker, taking her down and killing her, this is so unusual as to warrant full investigation.

[Posteritatis]

55. (facepalm)

I live two hours' drive from where this happened. I grew up much closer to it than that. I would like to believe I'm familiar with the area and the local state of things. I'm not worried in the least about Blackwater murdering random hikers or nonexistent ranchers tearing up protected mountainsides.

Canada's "very rightwing" government is probably on par with the centre-right of the Democratic Party these days. Harper's an exception in that regard, but most of our conservatives would fit in with the Democratic caucus (especially as it is now).

Nova Scotia in particular has a socialist government. Even the conservative and liberal opposition parties would be centre-left by US standards here. The constitution gives the provinces the final say over natural resources of any type. Even if it wasn't a protected park, Ottawa couldn't do a thing there.

And human attacks do happen. They're rare, yes, but I think it's more reasonable to assume that if hikers come across someone who's being attacked by a pair of coyotes who is hospitalized with coyote-attack type wounds of which she dies shortly afterwards, it's a safer assumption to think those hikers were not lying than it is for someone nowhere near the event to decide they were on account of the state of American politics.

With any idea of the context of things up here, it is paranoid to suspect those sorts of things. Really, it's just ridiculous.

[Peace Patriot]

61. I've never heard of a coyote attacking humans, ever--let alone a "pack."

But I've learned here that there may have been some extremely rare instances--a rabid coyote, for instance, that doesn't know what it is doing. They are reclusive animals and avoid humans, in my experience. So I think WHY they did it, if they did, should be investigated--and I presume it will be. I did not say that the witnesses were lying. I said they may not have understood what they were seeing. Were the coyotes moving pups across the trail, for instance, and she happened into view at just at the wrong moment? Had they just killed their dinner and they were very hungry--and, same thing, she suddenly pops into view and is perceived as a threat? It is simply mystifying--coyotes don't do this. So I think something's wrong with the story--intentionally or not. Wolves I could believe. Bears in some circumstances. Wild dogs. But not coyotes.

I was only trying to figure it out. I see that my more paranoid guesses are unlikely in that park. But before they start shooting coyotes, I sure hope they find out what did happen. And I feel terrible for the young singer and her family and friends. What an absolutely horrible thing to have happen on a walk in the park! I am so sorry they were unable to save her! It must be just devastating for her friends who saw it and tried to save her life.

Sorry I mentioned Blackwater. It was on my mind. And I live in an area where police training and hunting (and I wouldn't be surprised at training of mercenary soldiers) occur on corporate forest lands, and where corporate/private lands butt up against public parks and preserves--and where attitudes of some people toward Nature are hostile, fearful and exploitative. I'm not against hunting per se; I'm against war games. Shooting wolves with high-powered rifles from helicopters. That sort of thing. Nature as the "enemy."

I hope this tragedy does not make people fearful of Nature, and reluctant to hike in the park. I hope that whatever happened is fully investigated, so they know if there is a danger and what it is. (Are there rabid coyotes in the park? Coyotes rearing young too close to trails? Hungry coyotes--overcrowded? What?) I hope it's clarified. I hope any danger is dealt with. And I hope things get back to normal, where coyotes hide from humans, and humans can enjoy being in the coyotes' home without fear.

[Hekate]

85. Really? Mother Nature: not just fluffy bunnies. Here's a few instances...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/coyote-attack-griffith-park.html
Coyote reportedly attacks man in Griffith Park
September 18, 2009 | 3:29 pm
A man reported being attacked by a coyote in Griffith Park this week, wildlife officials said today.
The man, who was lying down near the Travel Town area of the park Wednesday night, reported waking up to find a coyote biting his foot, but he was not seriously injured, said Kevin Brennan, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish & Game.
The attack was the second reported in less than a month in the 4,210-acre, chaparral-covered park; wildlife authorities also learned from county health officials this week that another person was bitten in the park in late August.
In response, wardens dispatched USDA wildlife services trappers, who roved the park Thursday and today, trapping and lethally shooting seven of the animals. The agency’s policy is to capture and kill coyotes only if there’s an imminent threat to public safety. “Somebody getting bitten is an imminent threat,” Brennan said.

http://www.varmintal.com/attac.htm
5/8/8 Lake Arrowhead, CA Coyote Drags Toddler From Front Yard. Animal Releases 2-Year-Old Girl When Mom Appears; 3rd Incident In 5 Days. >snip<
5/2/8 Chino Hills, CA. A nanny pulled a 2-year-old girl from the jaws of a coyote Friday when the animal attacked the toddler and tried to carry her away in its mouth, officials said.
The girl was playing in a sandbox at Alterra Park in Chino Hills in San Bernardino County. Around 10:30 a.m., the caretaker heard screaming and saw a coyote trying to carry the child off in its mouth, officials said. >snip<
12/24/7 Erie, CO --- Woman bitten, two dogs dead after coyote attack. On Christmas Eve, Janice Shattuck and her family had to have their dog "Lola," a 3-year-old Maltese, euphemized. Earlier in the morning, another of their dogs "Eddie," a 9-year-old Jack Russell Terrier/Shih Tzu mix, died after being attacked by coyotes.
"To have this loss on Christmas Eve, it's a staggering loss. >snip<

http://www.desertusa.com/june96/coyotes_and_people.html
As humans expand their living areas and coyotes expand their range as well, contact is inevitable. Most of the time, coyotes go out of their way to avoid humans, but they are discovering that humans are a good source for food. Resourceful and adaptable as coyotes are, they will take advantage of this when they can. In urban areas and in some National Parks the coyotes are changing their behavior. >snip<
“Coyote attacks on humans and pets have increased within the past 5 years in California. Forty-eight such attacks on children and adults were verified from 1998 through 2003, compared to 41 attacks during the period 1988 through 1997; most incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface.” (Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem, Timm and Baker ’04)
“Out of the 89 Coyote attacks in California, 56 of the attacks caused injury to one or more people.  Out of those that caused injury, 55% were attacks on adults. In 35 incidents, where coyotes stalked or attacked small children, the possibility of serous or fatal injury seemed likely if the child had not been rescued.” (Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem, Timm and Baker ’04) >snip<

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[backwoodsbob]

57. you don't understand wild animals

Come spend a week at my house in the spring and you will get I imagine a real eye opener on nature.Things kill things.A hiker who happened along a pack of coyote's alone would be in a bad situation.

I NEVER walk the woods here without a means to defend myself...normally my 9mm

[tabasco]

67. Hahahahahahaha!

You live in Virginia and live in fear of nature.

Just letting you know that a lot of us are laughing our asses off at you.

Maybe the lost colony was taken out by COYOTES.

Unbelievable how the natives survived without 9 mils.

[bertman]

89. Tabasco, have you ever been to Virginia? Probably not since you're named after a hot sauce.

But the point being that there are wild places in every state in the Union. Wild animals live in urban areas also, in case you didn't know.

There are packs of wild dogs in urban areas that will kill a human if that human is in a compromising situation. Did you ever see a bear when you were walking within a mile of a city? I have.

Your ignorance is astounding.

Hahahahahahahahaha!!

A lot of us are laughing our asses off at YOU!!

[tabasco]

91. UPDATE

I live on top of a mountain in the middle of Monongahela National Forest.

I kind of pity people who live in fear and need their guns to feel safe. But it's more pathetic than sympathetic.

The only danger I feel in the wilderness is from other people, especially idiot gun-toters.

Of course, I'm an Airborne Ranger, not a quivering coward living in fear.

[bertman]

94. I don't live in quivering fear either, but I do respect the fact that there are animals in

the wilds--even of Virginia--that are quite capable of killing me or anyone whom they catch unawares or in a compromising position. Since you live in the wilds of West Virginia you, better than anyone, should be aware that there are black bear, cougar, coyote, and wild dogs who share those mountains with the humans who are there. To me, it makes much more sense to carry a sidearm and be comfortable that I can deal with about any living thing that might want to do me harm, instead of hoping that I will be able to fall back on my badass skills if confronted by a formidable predator.

There's a big big difference between quivering in fear and being prepared by arming oneself responsibly.

Everybody who walks alone in the wilds is not an airborne ranger. The rest of us have to do the best we can with what we have.

By the way, greetings from a former airborne infantry pathfinder Vietnam vet.

[Codeine]

28. Coyotes used to stalk me occasionally

when I was walking my little dog in the hills bordering Riverside, CA. One of them shadowed me pretty openly about twenty to thirty feet away, but never worked up the nerve to move closer. It wasn't me they wanted, obviously, but rather the puppy. Still a little spooky.

[Codeine]

29. Read the story

or just read the third line of the OP. She died after the attack, in the hospital. Other hikers came upon the attack and chased the coyotes off.

[alfredo]

30. Coyotes were run out of the west so they moved east, using the nice dry

bridges over the Mississippi. They have been displacing the Red Fox in many areas, killing small dogs, cats, and new born farm animals. They also foul tobacco being cured. They "mark" the tobacco at night, and during the day, the farmer's dog remarks the tobacco. They also sleep on top of the curing tobacco bales because the decomposition of the tobacco warms the bales. It is also where mice hide and Coyotes await on top of the bale for one to appear. Think of that when you chew or smoke tobacco.

[Cleita]

32. Run out of the West?

I get serenaded at night often by our local pack and if I go five miles more west, I'm in the ocean.

[alfredo]

38. Not all of them, but they were poisoned, and harassed to the point some

moved east.

[dflprincess]

35. They've moved back into the suburb I live in n/t

[alfredo]

39. They come into Lexington Ky at night to hunt. If your cat disappears, it

could be because of a Coyote. They are incredible animals.

[Hekate]

42. I can hear the pack singing at night from my house in Santa Barbara, which is about as far West...

... as you can get without falling into the ocean.

I don't live in the woods either, just a modest tract with a mostly-dry streambed a few blocks away and a little artificial lake half a mile in the other direction (the lake was made a century ago and is now a major fly-by for migratory birds). A half-mile on another side are citrus groves and the foothills.

The coyotes are actually all around us, as are raccoons, opossums, skunks and the occasional fox. I don't know how numerous they are, but they are definitely there.

Coyotes are survivors; there's a reason the Native Americans decided that Coyote was a Trickster.

Interesting information about coyotes and tobacco, btw. Gives me another reason to be glad I don't smoke. ;-)

Hekate

[alfredo]

47. The ranchers and farmers on the great plains did their best to eradicate them,

and like I said before, they looked for less hostile surroundings. There's a lot of easy pickin's in the suburbs.

Tobacco is foul with urine, feces, animal fur and parts. That urine is not all bad. Salt and moisture speeds up fermentation (curing).

[Hannah Bell]

54. we have coyotes in my small town neighborhood in wa state. they weren't run off here.

main place they were run off is cattle country.

[alfredo]

87. I believe the campaign was greatest in the plains.

[NickB79]

76. No such thing happened. Coyotes expanded as wolves were killed off

And have remained as numerous as ever throughout their original range. They have also begun to increase in size in many areas as they fill the niche that wolves once filled, even hunting mature whitetail deer in some areas.

Nice dry bridges? You think they can't swim? Coyotes have been east of the Mississippi for millenia, but their numbers were simply kept in check by wolf packs.

[One_Life_To_Give]

82. Must be a different Tobacco Curing than we use out here

Cause we don't cure bales sitting on the ground. Tobacco is harvested and immediatly hung in a shed where it is fired with Propane Burners to cure. Only after it's fully cured and ready to ship to market will the shed be stripped and prepared for next year. Guess if I still smoked I would have to opt for native CT grown Tobacco then.

[RedCloud]

31. Coyote means "little brother"

Oh Little Brothers, how many of you must now die for the actions of a few?

And will they justify your genocide in a song for school kids?

"Ten little nine little eight little coyotes.
Seven little six little five little coyotes.
Four, little three, little two little coyotes.
One little coyote left."

:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:
:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

[Codeine]

68. Coyote is just the Spanish form of coyotl,

which is simply the Nahuatl word for the animal. It doesn't mean little brother.

[NNN0LHI]

37. There is no such thing as a coyote around here any more. Just coyote/dog hybrids or coydogs

I spotted a large dog about a mile away in the field one afternoon using binoculars and my wife and I were sure it was one of the neighbors chocolate lads. We called one and it wasn't theirs so we assumed it was the other neighbors lab and started walking out to it with a collar and lead to fetch him. As we got closer we realized it wasn't a lab but a huge coydog. The same color as a chocolate lab. Just as big too. I bet if someone started running the DNA of the ones the hunters kill each year they wouldn't find one purebred coyote around here.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4HPIA_enUS306US306&q=coydog+&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

Think about a couple of these coming at ya:

[alphafemale]

77. "Think about a couple of these coming at ya:" Um...she's wearing a collar

I had a dog that looked exactly like that when I was a teenager. And she even "smiled" like that. She actually attached herself to me when I was out in the woods one day, so I suppose it's possible she was hybrid of some sort, though I doubt it. While the notion of being adopted by even a semi-wild animal is appealing, it is 99.99+% more likely she was just another heartbroken, bewildered stray; unceremoniously shoved out of the family car for the unpardonable canine crime of not remaining a perpetual puppy.

[Hekate]

40. They usually go for smaller prey like pets and toddlers, but yes, a team of two could...

... certainly take down an adult human if they tried. They are wild animals, after all.

Their original range in the West has been considerably expanded over the years by human construction of roads and bridges, and where there is urban-wildland interface they also roam neighborhoods at night, checking for garbage and pets.

I'm so sorry for this girl and her family.

Hekate

[opihimoimoi]

73. We so wucky we live Kaneohe...no mo yotes...only mynahs and mongooses...and some small minds too

Mostly Republicans who dither

[Hekate]

75. Mynahs and mongooses nevah boddah me...

... though one night at a friend's in Honolulu there was something with claws trying to dig its way through the bathroom floor. Yikes.

Hekate

[opihimoimoi]

79. Most likely a RAT Republican't....LOL

[Writer]

43. We have a pack that howls in the open space behind our home every night.

Our county has sent reports indicating that coyotes have grown more accustomed to people and are now more prone to attack your pets... I actually wouldn't be surprised if a couple of hungry, over-populated coyotes attacked a human who was in what appeared to be a compromised or vulnerable position.

[Raffi Ella]

46. damn.

My dog was just chased by two coyotes in my front yard two nights ago.

I took her out in the front yard to pee as I always do before I go to bed. I went 20 feet down the drive with her before I realized I needed a jacket. It was right inside the front door and as I was reaching for it I heard my dog make this weird sound.

I saw her dart across the drive and right behind went a big black streak - I raced out calling her name but they'd ran around the house. I was stunned, not knowing really what that was chasing her...

3 seconds later she came hauling ass around the other side of the house and came straight to me on the drive- then this big black coyote came running around, saw us and sped off across the street.

But then a second one came around right behind the black one and stopped and looked at us. I screamed at it and it ran away.

I was upset about this before I read this story, now I'm scared. damn. We go hiking on the trails behind the house every day and have never seen them before. wtf.

[Stevenmarc]

50. Gee if we can get Celine Dion to take up hiking

[mitchum]

51. "Hey, this doesn't taste like Dylan!"

[LostInAnomie]

52. I find the idea of coyotes killing anyone hard to believe.

Seems fishy to me.

[anonymous171]

59. Yep. Animals never kill people. nt

[LostInAnomie]

60. Pretty rare that an animal between 20-40 lbs attacks a full grown adult.

Especially rare that they would be able to kill that adult.

[Doremus]

64. Me too. I will be very surprised if it's not rabies.

[Codeine]

69. there were witnesses. nt

[applegrove]

63. They said on the news that they think she got between the coyotes

and their kill. Park rangers hunted down both coyotes: killed one and hit the other. They are still looking for the wounded one.

[Doremus]

65. We are in the suburbs. A coyote ran across our front yard the other night.

Magnificent animals, extremely shy. Very, very few documented human attacks.

[TexasObserver]

66. I've heard of being eaten by a wolf and shit over a cliff, but ...

But coyotes?

[Bigmack]

70. Coyotes and wolves have interbred...

in the Northeast US and Eastern Canada. Some coyotes as big as 75 lbs... and not shy like coyotes. Average male in the Northeast is 39 lbs... in the West it's 28lbs.

[friendly_iconoclast]

71. EASTERN COYOTES ARE PART WOLF, PEOPLE!

Sorry about the yelling, but it's an important point:


http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=wylie-coywolf-the-coyote-wolf-hybri-2009-09-23
Sep 23, 2009 06:52 PM in Basic Science

Wylie Coywolf: The coyote-wolf hybrid has made its way to the Northeast
By Carina Storrs

Bigger than coyotes but smaller than wolves, their howl is high-pitched and their diet includes deer and small rodents. They are "coywolves" (pronounced "coy," as in playful, "wolves"), and they are flourishing in the northeastern U.S., according to a study published today in Biology Letters.

Although coyote–wolf breeding has been reported in Ontario, where coyotes started migrating from the Great Plains in the 1920s, this study provides the first evidence of coywolves—also known as coydogs or eastern coyotes—in the Northeast. And even though they are more coyote (Canis latrans) than wolf (gray wolves are Canis lupus, and red wolves are Canis rufus), the expansion of these hybrids into western New York State marks the return of wolves to the Empire State....

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=458&q=150783

....The eastern coyote (Canis latrans) is found throughout northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Recent research shows the eastern coyote is an immigrant whose origin may have involved interbreeding between coyotes and gray wolves. Analysis of DNA suggests coyote/wolf hybridization has occurred. Other studies indicate that the eastern coyote is intermediate in size and shape between gray wolves and western coyotes. As a result, the eastern coyote exhibits different behavior, habitat use, pelt coloration, prey preferences and home range sizes from its western cousin....

....The eastern coyote is much larger than its western counterpart. Adult males in Pennsylvania weigh 45 to 55 pounds. The heaviest known male caught here weighed 62 pounds. Females are smaller, 35 to 40 pounds. The heaviest known female in Pennsylvania weighed 42 pounds. Total body length of eastern coyotes ranges from 48 to 60 inches....

...The coyote is a generalist. An analysis of 300 coyote scats collected in Pennsylvania indicate a wide array of food items in their diet. Mammals from at least 13 genera were found, ranging from small mice and voles to deer. Overall, deer was the dominant food, occurring in 57 percent of the scats...

http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/2007/11/17/massachusetts-study-says-eastern-coyote-part-wolf/

Massachusetts Study Says Eastern Coyote Part Wolf
November 17, 2007

Like similar studies done in Maine and New York, a recent study conducted in Massachusetts by Bradley White, a conservation geneticist at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, showed that the state’s coyote there is also a mix breed. The tissue samples that were collected for the study was done by wildlife biologist Jonathan G. Way of Marston Mills.

For years many have believed that the coyote found in the east was some kind of cross between a western coyote and a wolf because the eastern coyote is considerably larger than the those found in the west. New York and Maine have conducted similar studies to show that what we call an eastern coyote is a cross or hybrid mix of probably a western coyote with a Canadian eastern wolf.....

I have some friends on Cape Ann (Massachusetts) who have photographed some rather large ones. They live next to conservation land and see them regularly.

[Orrex]

72. If that's the case, then I propose that we start calling them wolfotes

[depakid]

78. When was the last time you heard of wolves attacking and killing a human?

[CoffeeCat]

74. I never thought I'd say this...

...but I have a mildy amusing coyote story.

A few weeks ago, we were driving along a lake/wooded area that spans many miles. My husband spots a coyote
on the right and we immediately turn the car around to catch a better glimpse. After turning around and
pulling into a gravel driveway, we couldn't see the coyote anywhere. We knew he had gone into a field.

Then we spotted him. He was standing on top of a five-foot hay bale. Standing on it!!!

I have never seen a coyote in my life, but now I was looking at a coyote standing on top of a hay bale.

He was pretty far away--about 100 yards, and we tried to get a good picture. All we had was my husband's
cell phone and Mr. Coyote is only a blur.

I have no proof that I saw a coyote standing on a hay bale in Iowa--but I swear he was there!

[Lost Jaguar]

83. I've had experience with both Eastern and Western Coyotes...

...my roots are here in Maine, but I lived from the late 70's through '05 in Los Angeles. I've seen Eastern Coyotes hunting in packs. Before I moved to LA, I lived in Maine next door to an old-school, very small-scale farmer who raised 8-10 cows. We lived on the edge of some woods. One day, a Momma cow delivered a baby in the pasture. It was only minutes before the coyotes could be seen, loping amongst the trees that edged the pasture. They had smelled the afterbirth. The old farmer got out his equally old and rusty single-barrelled 12 gauge and sat on a flat rock in the pasture, watching the coyote until the mama cow could nudge her newborn back to the barn. We had a neighbor down the road, and he was a true woodsman; the kind who could read Nature's signs like we read the newspaper. He was out hiking nearby one day and was accosted, then chased up a tree, by a pack of coyotes. They eventually gave up on him. After that, he never walked the woods without his .357 on his hip.

I lived in LA for several years on a cul-de-sac up in the hills within sight of Dodger Stadium. It was pretty rustic up there, and when taking my dogs for early morning walks, we often glimpsed single coyotes before they dashed off. They were runty compared to the ones I'd seen in Maine. Almost like two different critters. I always carried a big stick on those walks.

My heart goes out to the young lady's friends and family.

[sendero]

84. This is why..

... I shoot coyotes on my land. Those in my area are often bred with dogs. They are not afraid of people and will attack, and they have but fortunately the victim was able to climb to safety. Next time maybe not.

Coyotes are not cuddly puppies they are vicious predators. I won't hesitate to kill them and I don't give two shits what some moron here thinks about it.

[Bigmack]

88. Let me add one thing....

Shooting a few doesn't change the dynamic much. They can have litters of up to 19 pups, so if your clear an area, it's only temporary. One of the best things I've ever heard of is to tie bacon to a hot wire and turn it on. Teaches them not to come into an area. A neighbor started carrying a paintball gun (suburban area... not shooting) . He's shot at many and hit a couple. The coyotes have become very spooky. Shooting solves the problem with the one coyote, but creating a whole hostile environment keeps 'em away. They learn quickly and pass on their lessons. I'll bet you have a neighbor who feeds the coyotes, or the racoons, or some other varmint. Ask around.

[LWolf]

86. That's bizarre. And sad.

My first thought was rabies. :(

I've lived my whole life in coyote country. They'll take a cat anytime they can. I've known them to try to lure a dog out of safety, as well.

I've seen them surround a cow with a still-born calf, patiently waiting for her to give up and leave it.

I've never seen them aggressive enough to attack a human.

My oldest mare, from the time she was a weanling 20 years ago, considered herself on coyote patrol. She chased them out of pasture so regularly that they stopped coming in. She and I held off a couple out on the trail once, who were stalking a dog along for the ride, while the dog's owner took the dog home.

[apples and oranges]

90. the coyote apologists are out in force today!

[newspeak]

92. oh are they?

the coyotes that apparently did the crime have been hunted. What do you think? Should we destroy every coyote now? I lived up in ranch country up in N. Cal. and ya know we used to have a dog problem. When domesticated dogs get together in packs they can act just like coyotes go figure. As a matter of fact, my daughter on her way to school was almost attacked by dogs. Fortunately, I had told her if she ever was approached by a hostile dog to lower her eyes and stay perfectly still. Don't run. If you run-any predator-you are food. They finally lost interest. But, in that area we had a pony brought down by dogs, not coyotes-small calves. These dogs, some belonged to ranchers and were allowed to roam-get them in a pack and see what can happen. Ya think we should destroy all dogs?

[Bigmack]

93. Lest you lump me in that group....

I don't make excuses for them, I just like to point out that they are a fact of life. Their range - and numbers - are on the increase, and hunting just doesn't do anything to change their numbers long-term. We gotta work smarter, not harder. Denver has a "coyote hazing" program to keep the coyotes from looking at us as a source for food around our homes. See my other post in this thread for some other ideas.

They are a real annoyance and a danger to pets and kids. They need to know the rules.... mice, rats, rabbits, etc... OK. People are crazy and dangerous and need to be avoided at all costs.

The real problem is the dogs... Dogs bite 800,000 people a year and 400,000 of them result in an ER trip. In 2007 33 people were killed by dogs, although the average yearly toll is about 17. Coyote attacks on people are rare, and coyote attacks that lead to death are as rare as hen's teeth.

I'm curious about the attack this week.... could they be coy-dogs? Coy-wolves?