Cyclist attacked by coyote in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

A cyclist was chased and attacked by a coyote on the Cabot Trail on Wednesday.

According to Parks Canada, the coyote began chasing  a woman as she rode the paved road near Green Cove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Unable to outrun the animal, the woman dismounted and used her bicycle as a shield. She was bitten on the arm while defending herself.

“To my knowledge it was a minor, superficial bite — she was taken to hospital and checked out and released,” said Erich Muntz, resource conservation manager for Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

“… I would give this person kudos, what she did was an appropriate response.”

Passing motorists stopped and helped chase the animal away.

Muntz explained that they have had multiple reports of coyotes chasing cyclists over the year. Those reports are concentrated in the Green Cove area.

“All of the cases are a little bit different,” said Muntz.

“The similarity between them is that the coyote seem to have some form of an unstoppable response to chase bycicles. They are locked in. They pursue.

“They seem to be in a channel of behaviour it’s hard for them to snap out of. For whatever reason, usually they’ll stop the chase.”

Parks Canada is asking the public to “exercise caution” when walking or cycling in the Green Cove area.

In 2009, Toronto folk singer Taylor Mitchell was killed by coyotes while hiking alone on the Skyline Trail some 75 kilometres north of Green Cove

Then in 2010, a teenager was bitten by a coyote about six kilometres north of Green Cove.

Parks Canada is recommending that visitors to the area do their hiking and camping in groups.

If you encounter a coyote, they offer the following advice:

• Do not feed it or entice it to come closer
• Give it its space
• Do not run away
• Make and maintain eye contact with the coyote
• Wave your arms and shout so you appear larger to the coyote (or blow your vehicle’s horn if you are in it)
• Do not crouch down as you will appear smaller to the coyote
• If it approaches you, yell and make yourself look big, or throw rocks or hard objects at it