Parks Canada officials continue to hunt for a coyote that fatally mauled a young Toronto folksinger when she was visiting a Nova Scotia park.

Nineteen-year-old Taylor Mitchell was attacked by a pair of coyotes while she hiked in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Mitchell screamed when she was attacked on the park's popular Skyline Trail, and two nearby hikers and a Parks Canada worker called 911. An RCMP officer arrived on scene and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it.

But it was too late for Mitchell. She was airlifted to hospital, but succumbed to her wounds the next day.

Parks Canada has since closed the trail where Mitchell was attacked and conservation officers have shot and killed one of the coyotes.

And the parks organization has stepped up the search for the other coyote that killed Mitchell, by sending armed conservation officers into the park.

"This won't be about killing every coyote that we see," Chip Bird, the head of Parks Canada in Cape Breton, told CTV News.

"They continue to look for coyotes that are displaying behaviour that's not normal, that's aggressive, or even (those) that are coming to close to people."

While the attack on Mitchell is statistically rare and unexpected, some trail experts say it is best to hike with other outdoor enthusiasts to stay safe.

"We like to see hikers walking together for safety, and even if you just turn an ankle, it could be a major incident in the wilderness area to get out," said Andy Pittman of the Coxheath Hills Wilderness Recreation Association.

With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV Atlantic's Randy MacDonald