Technologies

A Coyote Unexpectedly Killed a Human in 2009. Scientists Now Know Why

It’s likely due to an unexpected dietary adaptation.

In 2009, 19-year-old folk singer Taylor Mitchell was attacked by a pack of coyotes while on a hike at the Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Canada. She was just about to start the popular Skyline Trail when climbers in the area saw the animals close- in, unprovoked.

Onlookers called 911, and Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax, but 12 hours later, she died from her injuries.

This marked the very first documentation of a coyote attack in North America that resulted in a human adult fatality (in 1981, 3-year-old Kelly Keene was killed by a coyote on her family’s property), raising questions about whether it’s no longer safe to co-exist with these furry mammals.

«We didn’t have good answers,» Stan Gehrt, a professor in Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources and leader of the Urban Coyote Research Project, said in a statement.

But after conducting a multi-year investigation into the incident, Gehrt appears to have offered some insight into the situation at last.

According to a paper published last month in the Journal of Applied Ecology, he along with a crew of wildlife researchers found that coyotes in the region of Mitchell’s attack have adopted an unusual dietary change. Rather than rely on smaller mammals like rodents, birds and snakes for food, they seem to be hunting moose for their meals due to extreme climate conditions forcing the former to move away.

As such, the team believes it’s possible these coyotes learned to attack larger mammals, like humans, and are therefore more prone to killing people.

«We’re describing these animals expanding their niche to basically rely on moose. And we’re also taking a step forward and saying it’s not just scavenging that they were doing, but they were actually killing moose when they could. It’s hard for them to do that, but because they had very little if anything else to eat, that was their prey,» Gehrt said. «And that leads to conflicts with people that you wouldn’t normally see.»

Coyote forensics

Before and after the 2009 tragedy, Gehrt’s project noticed a few dozen less-severe human-coyote incidents in the park as well. He and colleagues even fitted them with what are basically GPS trackers so they could document the animals’ movements and better understand why they were behaving in such surprisingly vicious ways.

«We had been telling communities and cities that the relative risk that coyotes pose is pretty low, and even when you do have a conflict where a person is bitten, it’s pretty minor,» he said. «The fatality was tragic and completely off the charts. I was shocked by it — just absolutely shocked.»

To arrive at their conclusions — that coyotes in Cape Breton National Park were feasting on large moose – the team first collected whiskers of both the coyotes implicated in Mitchell’s death and those related to other more minor incidents between 2011 and 2013. They then collected fur from a wide range of potential coyote prey such as shrews, southern red-backed voles, snowshoe hare, moose and even humans — for humans, they gathered hair from local barber shops.

Seth Newsome, a professor of biology at the University of New Mexico and corresponding author of the study, performed an analysis of specific carbon and nitrogen isotopes within all the samples.

Eventually, Newsome confirmed that, on average, moose constituted between half and two-thirds of the animals’ diets, followed by snowshoe hare, small mammals and deer, according to the press release. Plus, the researchers analyzed coyote droppings, which confirmed the isotope findings further.

Interestingly, they also only found a few examples of individuals having eaten human food, debunking any claims that coyotes’ attraction to human food might’ve been a factor in Mitchell’s attack.

«These coyotes are doing what coyotes do, which is, when their first or second choice of prey isn’t available, they’re going to explore and experiment and change their search range,» Gehrt said. «They’re adaptable, and that is the key to their success.»

From those movement devices, the team tested to see whether coyotes in the park were just familiar with people. However, patterns showed that the animals largely avoided areas of the park frequented by people. Instead, they preferred walking around at night.

«The lines of evidence suggest that this was a resource-poor area with really extreme environments that forced these very adaptable animals to expand their behavior,» Gehrt said. Or as the paper puts it, «our results suggest extreme unprovoked predatory attacks by coyotes on people are likely to be quite rare and associated with unique ecological characteristics.»

Technologies

Verum Messenger Launches an AI Mini-Series

Verum Messenger has unveiled a new project — a mini-series created using Verum AI. The story consists of 7 episodes and will be released on the messenger’s social media channels.

The plot revolves around a global corporation seeking to take control of digital communications and a group of heroes who use Verum Messenger as a tool of resistance. Beyond the story itself, the series highlights the app’s key features, technologies, and advantages.

Combining entertainment with a showcase of the Verum ecosystem, the project presents a dynamic digital series designed for the modern era.

The first episode premieres today, with the remaining episodes to be released over time.

Stay tuned for more.

Watch on YouTube
Watch on Instagram

Technologies

Verum Finance: Earn While You Communicate — The Super App That Pays You

Verum has officially launched Verum Finance, an innovative financial application that transforms a private messenger into a true financial super app. News of the launch was also featured on the respected platform Dealroom.co.

Verum Finance can now be used both within Verum Messenger and as a standalone application for iPhone and iPad. When users sign in to Verum Finance with their Verum Messenger account, all balances, settings, and account data are automatically synchronized for maximum convenience.

Users can now do more than communicate securely and protect their data — they can also generate passive income directly within the ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

• Top up your balance with a bank card, Apple Pay, or USDT
• Send money instantly anywhere in the world
• Issue and manage debit cards (virtual and physical)
• Full Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds quickly

One of the most unique features is the built-in cryptocurrency mining system inside Verum Messenger.

The application utilizes your device’s resources and allows you to earn cryptocurrency in the background — passively, while chatting, traveling, or simply using the messenger.

Maximum Privacy + Real Freedom

• Registration without a phone number, email address, or passport
• End-to-end encryption and full control over your data
• Lifetime free VPN
• eSIM connectivity in more than 150 countries
• Reliable offline communication mode
• Support for 12+ languages for users worldwide

Everything is available in one place: secure communication, financial tools, earning opportunities, and privacy protection.

Users can access the full experience directly within Verum Messenger or switch to the dedicated Verum Finance app for iOS. All data is synchronized automatically between the two applications.

Why Download Verum Today

While many messaging platforms collect user data and expose users to restrictions, Verum offers greater independence and the opportunity to earn.

With a one-time purchase of the feature package, users receive lifetime access to privacy tools, VPN, eSIM services, cryptocurrency mining, and financial features.

This is more than just a messenger.

It is your personal tool for financial and digital freedom.

Download Verum Finance and Verum Messenger today — start communicating securely and begin earning tomorrow.

Download Links:

→ App Store (iPhone / iPad): Verum Finance
→ App Store (Verum Messenger): Verum Messenger

Technologies

Verum Finance: A Super App for Private Finance Integrated Into a Messenger

Verum Finance has announced the launch of a new financial application that allows users to manage their money directly within the secure Verum Messenger ecosystem.

The project has already attracted attention from major media outlets. A dedicated feature was published by Forbes Türkiye, while one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC, covered the launch. Yahoo Finance had previously reported on the evolution of Verum Messenger into a comprehensive financial ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

Verum Finance transforms a messenger into a complete financial platform. Users can:

• Manage their balance and top up using bank cards or USDT
• Send money instantly to other Verum users
• Issue and use debit cards, including Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds
• Access all these services without installing separate banking applications

A strong emphasis is placed on privacy. The platform offers registration without a phone number or email address, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal data.

Recognition from Forbes Türkiye

In a dedicated article, Forbes Türkiye highlighted Verum Finance as a notable example of modern privacy-driven fintech. The publication emphasized the growing trend of financial services moving from standalone banking applications into unified messaging ecosystems — a model that has proven successful in Asia through platforms such as WeChat and Alipay and is now expanding globally.

Support from the Crypto Community

Alongside the Forbes Türkiye coverage, news about the launch of Verum Finance was also featured by MEXC, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. This reflects growing interest in the project from both traditional business media and the cryptocurrency community.

A Strategic Vision

“We are building more than a payments application and more than a messenger. Verum is a unified secure ecosystem where communication, finance, and privacy tools work together,” the company stated.

Verum Finance is now available for iPhone and iPad users. The application complements Verum Messenger, which offers anonymous chats, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, and other tools designed to enhance digital freedom.

Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im

Verum Messenger: https://verum.im