Richard Collins: Fearless coyotes spark behaviour investigation

Trackers, fur clippings and whisker samples all analysed in bid to figure out why rogue coyotes attacked a human

Coyote (Canis latrans, family Canidae), is often called prairie wolf or brush wolf. It is between the wolf and fox in size and resembles a lightly-built German shepherd dog with erect, pointed ears, pointed muzzle, flat forehead, bushy tail (usually held rather low) and a coat of long, grey, russet or yellowish brown hair

Taylor Luciow was a Canadian folk singer and song writer. On October 27, 2007, aged 19, she went walking alone along a trail in Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Around three o’clock in the afternoon, screams were heard near the trail. Hikers, who went to investigate, came upon blood-stained clothing. This led them to Taylor, who was lying, covered in blood, among trees. She died in hospital 12 hours later.

Taylor Luciow-Mitchell, 19, died on October 27, 2009, the result of injuries from an attack by two coyotes, while hiking alone in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in eastern Canada. Taylor was an up-and-coming folk and country singer-songwriter from Toronto. She was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category