A 19-year-old woman has been mauled to death by two coyotes while hiking in Cape Bretton National Park in Nova Scotia in Canada. Other hikers tried to help and called park rangers who were able to shoot one of the animals dead.

The woman, Taylor Mitchell, was flown to hospital by helicopter but died of her injuries a short time afterwards. She was a rising singer-song writer star in the Canadian folk music scene.

Coyotes are usually fearful of humans and it is extremely rare for them to attack people. The eastern coyote which populates the Cape Bretton Park has interbred with wolves and is larger than its relatives native to western parts of America.

photo: coyotes (flickr/Matt Knott)