RIP: Taylor Mitchell killed by coyotes

I hear groups of them howling away around here all the time. Sometimes they're together, sometimes they're spread out. Fortunately they're small enough that I'm never worried about my safety. Then again, I come across black bears from time to time, especially during salmon spawning season, and haven't been worried about them either. Well okay, I did get fairly terrified the time I came around a patch of tall grass and almost stepped on one. Fortunately, it's instinct was to head for the nearest tree instead of having me for lunch. The coyotes always, always run away as soon as they hear or see me. Just like I do (after slowly backing up) when I see a bear.

As for us encroaching on their territory, this happened in Nova Scotia - it's not exactly Manhattan. Lots of space for the critters.

 

When I lived in SoCal I would see Coyotes frequently when hiking and mountain biking. The most I saw were two together at one time, and they were always scared s&*%$ of humans and would run away. This is very strange, but even more so very tragic.

 

Thanks for this reading: highly interesting... and creepy! I am a hiker myself, live in the Montreal, Qc area, and was ignorant of this successufull interbreeding between wolves and coyotes. Coyotes are often sighted around here. The part of the 1st article about the different vocalizations reminded me that a few years ago, we spent a summer holiday in a northen remote area, in the mountains. Once, deep in the night, we heard coyotes "singing" in the distance. Yet, I thought back then that their sound was quite lower and deeper than those classic coyote yelps that we hear in the old Disney desert movies, though it wasn't the monotone, lonely, creepy sound of the wolf either...

We should be on the lookout for this.

 

Wow. Bizarre! Lot's of coyotes and black bears around the out skirts of Ottawa and I've never worried much or heard of an attack. RIP!

 

RIP.

 

What do you mean it's not available any more? I purchased it yesterday at Maplemusic.com

 

Indeed.

 

It's insane. What a waste. My heart goes out to her and her loved ones

 

Oh boy, here we go.

 

Terrible news.... Much too young to die....

 

I looked there. Indeed, they've made it unavailable.

 

I've had the same experience. Ranchers around here don't like 'em because they can feed on sheep and other small livestock, but I've never heard of an attack of any kind on humans.

I've only seem some myself around Yellowstone National Park, never in packs. Sometimes they'll wonder into parking lots while scavenging for food and will stay as far away from humans as they can.

This is a tragic and horrifying story. Really sad. RIP.

dan c

 

Wrong place to get on a high horse in a RIP imo.

 

Where I live in northcentral Montana on a farm, we've always had coyotes. My farm house is bracketed by two coulees and I often hear them at night, their eerie yipping sound almost the definition of loneliness and isolation. Yet they never come into the farmyard, spending their nights scavaging on rabbits, birds and pheasant eggs. I've also seen them alone during the day, avoiding my vehicles and farm equipment. They don't seem particularly scared, just wary.

The Rocky Mountain Front is sixty miles to the west and that's where the wolves and grizzly bears have been introduced in the last decade or so. There are always a few bear vs human encounters every year, mostly female grizzlys guarding their cubs. Humans usually come out on the short end of the stick during these meetings.


A nearby rancher recently had 180 sheep attacked and mauled by a pack of wolves. They weren't hunting for food, just for the pleasure of the kill. Most of the sheep had their throats ripped out or were hobbled and left to die. Four survived, the rest had to be put down as they lay bleating and mortally wounded.

Yet I've never heard of coyotes attacking a human. One hopes that they're not learning new tricks from their cousins. Still, ranchers on the front have to keep a close eye on their children and rarely check their livestock without carrying high powered rifles. If they find a wolf or grizzly attacking their animals, they have a right to shoot to kill, but they damn well better be able to prove the attack. Fines for shooting protected animals are extremely high and Mt Fish & Game considerers those who shoot these predators guilty until proven innocent.

Just an overview of our world too often not explained by the mass media.

 

There was a story in the paper this morning that said coyotes in Nova Scotia already carry wolf genes, which I guess accounts for their size.

 

Did I miss something? The young woman was hiking alone in a park and got killed by one or two wild animals. Where is the encroachment there? Man IS part of nature too. And even considering there has been environmental encroachment elsewhere and by somebody else, do you really believe in some vengeance theory from Nature?

BTW, I am an ardent environment and wildlife champion myself.

 

You know more about the behavior of wolves than I, but I find it hard to believe that any animal (besides man) kills for "pleasure." Maybe the wolves were teaching their young how to hunt for food?

 

Humans are most at risk when they appear small to predators. Carnivore attacks have occured when someone squats down to tie their shoes or sits down to fix a tire on a mountain bike. Upright adults are usually ignored by predators.

 

None of us knows the exact circumstances of this unfortunate incident. One thing's for sure: wild animals don't realize that they're living in a national park and that they need to leave people alone. If they're starving for food or feel threatened they will act on instinct, as all wild animals do.

 

Have you ever owned a house cat (lone, adult specimen) that you let roam around free in the yard?

 

You've never heard of dogs -- family pets -- running down deer and killing them? They don't eat 'em. Or cats with birds? I don't know if pleasure is the right word but they seem to get some sort of enjoyment out of it.

 

My cat stays indoors at all times. I see where you're headed, though. When a housecat attacks a bird, it's acting on the instinct to stalk and kill prey for food. It may not be hungry, but it's the instinct for survival that compels it to act as it does, not out of the desire for "pleasure" (IMO). Only human sociopaths kill for sexual gratification, revenge, etc.

 

Cats and dogs (unless trained not to) certainly kill for pleasure whether hungry or not. Killing prey is necessary for a predator and any predator that does not go about this with enthusiasm (along with appropriate caution) is not likely to survive.