SQUAMISH, BC – Big Wildlife, an international wildlife advocacy organization with a an office in Squamish, called an attack by coyotes on a Toronto woman “terribly tragic” and expressed “deep sympathy” for the woman’s family. While details of the attack – which killed 18-year old Taylor Mitchell while she was hiking a popular trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park – remain murky, Big Wildlife said such attacks are "extremely rare."
 
“The attack by two coyotes on Taylor Mitchell in Cape Breton Highlands National Park is terribly tragic. Our hearts go out to her family.” said Brian Vincent, Communications Director for Big Wildlife. "Such attacks are extremely rare. Coyotes are not usually a threat to people."
 
The group urged communities across Canada to avoid overacting to the attack. Coyotes – though adaptive animals who have expanded their range in response to human degradation of natural habitat and elimination of competing predators such as wolves – are typically wary of humans. Aggressive behavior by coyotes toward humans is highly unusual and often the result of habituation due to feeding by humans.
 
Big Wildlife said people can take simple steps to avoid encounters with coyotes including: not feeding wild animals, keeping pets indoors, penning farm and ranch animals at night, properly securing garbage, avoiding leaving pet food outside, avoiding hiking in remote places at dawn and dusk, and hiking with others when in wild country.
 
“It is important authorities and communities keep a level head and avoid whipping up hysteria about coyotes and other predators,” said Vincent. “The reality is wild animals live among us.”

Big Wildlife said coyotes have faced relentless persecution throughout North America since the 1800s. Across the continent each year, tens of thousands of coyotes are gunned down from planes, trapped, shot, and poisoned as part of government control programs, mostly to mollify agribusiness interests. Thousands more coyotes are killed by commercial trappers, using incredibly cruel methods, for the fur trade. The wildlife group said that instead of aggressively killing coyotes, more emphasis should be placed on educating the public about coexisting with the wild canines.
 
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