An Alaska State Troopers Autopsy shows that wolves likely killed
32-year-old Candice Berner in the southwest Alaska village of
Chignik Lake on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula.
"We're confident this is a wolf attack," Alaska State Trooper
Holloway said in an interview.
"The tracks alongside the drag marks, and the fact that the drag
marks had blood in them probably means that she was alive as
they were moving her," Holloway said.
"Her left arm was torn mostly off and both her thighs were
badly, badly damaged. But her face was untouched and her body
was in decent form," he said.
Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
expect to have teams in the village Friday.
"The helicopter and the pilot are going to fly some biologists
around to try to either capture or exterminate the wolves that
are in that particular area," Holloway said.
Alaska State Troopers indicated a downswing in the caribou and
moose populations have likely pushed the wolves to the edge.
(Read
More)
Seven Stages Leading To Predatory Attacks
Ethologist
Doctor Valerius Geist of the University of
Calgary, Alberta outlined seven hypothetical
stages which lead to wolf attacks on humans
based on historical and modern accounts.
The first
outlined stage is scarcity of wild game, be
it due to poaching, habitat loss or seasonal
migration.
Wolves begin
approaching human habitations, though limit
their visits to nocturnal hours. Their
presence is usually established by barking
matches with local dogs.
After a certain
amount of time, wolves begin to frequent
human habitations in daylight hours, and
observe people and livestock at a distance.
The wolves
begin acting bolder by attacking small
livestock and pets during daylight,
sometimes pursuing their prey up to
verandas. At this point the wolves do not
focus on humans, but will growl and act
threateningly toward them.
The wolves
begin attacking large-bodied livestock and
may follow riders, as well as mount verandas
and look into windows.
People begin to
be harassed, usually in a playful manner.
The wolves will chase people over short
distances and nip at them, though will
retreat if confronted.
Wolves begin
attacking people in predatory fashions.
Wolf Attacks On Humans
History indicates that wolves living
in areas which have not been hunted
much are possibly more likely to
attack humans, pets, and livestock.
Most pro-wolf organizations
(including Defenders of Wildlife)
and many biologists lead the public
to believe that wolves pose little
or no threat to the public safety.
However, a wolf attack on a 6 year old boy near Ice Bay,
Alaska in April of 2000 prompted debate on previous
assumptions concerning wolf behavior toward humans.
This debate prompted research of
wolf-human encounters in Alaska and Canada.
Wolves overran Vancouver Island in the 1980s. Attacks
became so common that articles were published in
Canadian magazines documenting such attacks.
Humans have
been attacked by wolves in Alaska. The late David Tobuk
carried scars on his face from a wolf attack on him as a
small child.
Paul Tritt,
an Athabascan Indian, was attacked by a lone wolf while
working a trap line.
In August,
1996, the Delventhal family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were spending
a nine-day family vacation in Algonquin Provincial Park and joined a group
of Scouts in "howling" at the wolves. They were answered by
the howl of a solitary wolf. That night
the Delventhals decided to sleep out under the stars. Young
Zachariah was dreaming when he felt excruciating pain in his
face. A lone wolf had bit him in the face and was dragging
him from his sleeping bag.
Wolf
attacks are common in many parts of Asia.
The
government of India reported more than 100 deaths
attributable to wolves in one year during the eighties.
(Associated Press, 1985)
Apparently, in Iran, there are many
cases of wolves running off with small children.
In winter, when starving wolves grow bold, they have
been known to enter towns and kill people in daylight on
the streets.
A Russian
Linguist, Will Graves, provided our organization with
reports of wolves killing Russian people in many areas of
that country. Reports indicate some of the wolves were
diseased while others appeared healthy.
Skinner was
correct. The areas of Asia where wolf attacks occur on
humans are the same areas where people have no firearms or
other effective means of predator control.
Today predator control is very restricted in scope, and
as a result, attacks on humans by predators are becoming
more common.
According to Nick Andrew, Jr., Tribal Administrator for the
Ohogamiut Traditional Council, people in the Southwestern Alaska
town of Marshall are very concerned about the likelihood of a
widespread rabies outbreak based on the fact that approximately
25 dogs were directly and indirectly affected by the wolf
attacks.
"People here are on alert status, parents or guardians are
escorting their children to and from school, and all children
are ordered to be home before dark for their safety," Andrew
stated in a public notice.
Three sled dog yards were attacked by wolves on October 25,
2007. Alex Evan who lives in close proximity to all three
kennels began hearing the dogs barking wildly and fighting for
their lives at about 7:30 P.M.
Tests performed by the Alaska State Virology Laboratory (ASVL)
confirmed a 17 month old female wolf, which was killed by a
resident of the village, was positive for rabies virus.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Wildlife Veterinarian
Kimberlee Beckmen said it is possible other wolves in the pack
have the disease as well.
In 2003, the Anchorage Assembly established a number of
areas for off-leash dog activity in Anchorage. The
designated areas include University Lake Park, Far North
Bicentennial Park, Russian Jack Park, Connors Bog and
South Anchorage Sports Park.
While keeping dogs leashed will limit the potential encounters
with wolves, Sinnott is still cautious about a pattern he has
seen in the recent attacks.
“Our big concern is the proximity to people that the attacks are
occurring,” Sinnott said. “Wolves are typically skittish around
people, so that is cause for concern. But keeping dogs close
when walking trails should prevent deadly encounters.”
The
wolf encounters began Nov. 28, when a couple was walking with
three dogs along the Alaska Railroad tracks near Eklutna.
Sinnott said the dogs chased a large black wolf, which had
appeared on the trail 50 yards ahead of the couple. One of the
dogs was killed, and the others returned, when called by their
owners.
More recently, Dec. 5, a woman was walking with her dog near
Artillery Road and the Eagle River gate to Fort Richardson. The
dog fell behind during the trek, and the rustling of bushes,
followed by the image of a wolf crossing the path served as a
sign of the dog's fate. (Read
the full story)
Wolf
Attacks On Humans
Ontario Attack
Patricia Wyman, age 24, was attacked and killed
on April 18, 1996 by five grey wolves
while working in the Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve,
Ontario.
(Read
the full story)
History indicates that wolves living
in areas which have not been hunted
much are possibly more likely to
attack humans, pets, and livestock.
Most pro-wolf organizations
(including Defenders of Wildlife)
and many biologists lead the public
to believe that wolves pose little
or no threat to the public safety.
However, a wolf attack on a 6 year
old boy near Ice Bay, Alaska in
April of 2000 prompted debate on
previous assumptions concerning wolf
behavior toward humans. This debate
prompted research of wolf-human
encounters in Alaska and Canada. In
2002 the State of Alaska Fish & Game
Department released
A Case History
of Wolf-Human Encounters In Alaska &
Canada which
documents and discusses 80 cases of
wolf human interaction in which
wolves showed little or no fear of
humans in Alaska and Canada.
This document only contains data
from recent years prior to 2002. The
document does not contain any of the
most recent encounters which have
occurred during the last 7 years in
Alaska, Canada, Minnesota,
Wisconsin, New Mexico, or the Rocky
Mountain States.
The document presents a case history
of 80 cases of aggressive behavior
by wolves toward humans and even
attacks on humans from the 1970's to
2002. In 16 cases, wild non-rabid
wolves bit people. In 6 cases the
bites were severe. Please read this
document in it's entirety. It will
enlighten you on the increasing wolf
populations in North America and the
increasing number of dangerous
encounters with wolves.
A forester
employed by the Province of British Colombia was checking
some timber for possible harvest in the 1980s. He was met by
a small pack of three wolves. The forester yelled at the
wolves to frighten them away. Instead, the wolves came
towards him in a threatening manner and he was forced to
retreat and climb a nearby tree for safety. The wolves
remained at the base of the tree. The forester had a
portable radio, but was unable to contact his base, due to
distance, until evening. When the call for help came in, two
Conservation Officers with the Ministry of Environment were
flown to the area by floatplane to rescue the treed
forester.
When the
Conservation Officers arrived, the forester was still in the
tree and one wolf, the apparent leader of the pack, was
still at the base of the tree. The officers, armed with
shotguns, shot at the wolf and missed. The wolf ran for
cover and then started circling and howling near the two
officers. After a couple missed shots, the wolf was finally
shot and killed.
The wolf
tested negative for rabies. It appeared healthy in every
respect, but was very lean. The Conservation Officers felt
the attack was caused by hunger.
(Taped Interviews and a photo of the wolf
on file at Abundant Wildlife Society of North America.)
This is but
one example from British Columbia. Wolves overran Vancouver
Island in the 1980s. Attacks became so common that articles
were published in Canadian magazines documenting such
attacks. (Copies available upon request.)
Wolf
Attacks on humans have occurred in national parks, too. In
August 1987, a sixteen-year-old girl was bitten by a wild
wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario. The girl was
camping in the park with a youth group and shined a
flashlight at the wolf. The wolf reacted to the light by
biting the girl on the arm. That bite was not hard and due
to the thick sweater and sweatshirt the girl was wearing,
she sustained two scratch marks on her arm. The wolf was
shot by Natural Resources personnel and tested negative for
rabies. (Interview with Ron
Tozer, Park Naturalist for Algonquin Provincial Park,
7/25/88.)
Well-known
wolf biologist Dr. David Mech took issue with this attack
stating it couldn't really be considered an authentic attack
since the girl wasn't injured more severely. It was exactly
nine years when such an attack would take place.
Algonquin
Provincial Park is one of several areas where people are
encouraged to "howl" at the wolves in hopes of a response
from the wild wolves in the area. In August, 1996, the
Delventhal family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were spending
a nine-day family vacation in Algonquin and joined a group
of Scouts in "howling" at the wolves. They were answered by
the howl of a solitary wolf.
That night
the Delventhals decided to sleep out under the stars. Young
Zachariah was dreaming when he suddenly felt excruciating
pain in his face. A lone wolf had bit him in the face and
was dragging him from his sleeping bag. Zach screamed and
Tracy, Zach's Mother, raced to his side and picked him up,
saturating her thermal shirt with blood from Zach's wounds.
The wolf
stood menacingly less than a yard away. Tracy yelled at her
husband, Thom, who leapt from his sleeping bag and charged
the wolf. The wolf retreated and then charged at Tracy and
Zach. The charges were repeated. Finally the wolf left. Thom
turned a flashlight on 11-year-old Zach and gasped "Oh, my
God!" "The boy's face had been ripped open. His nose was
crushed. Parts of his mouth and right cheek were torn and
dangling. Blood gushed from puncture wounds below his eyes,
and the lower part of his right ear was missing." Zach was
taken to a hospital in Toronto where a plastic surgeon
performed four hours of reconstructive surgery. Zach
received more than 80 stitches in his face.
Canadian
officials baited the Delventhals' campsite and captured and
destroyed a 60-lb wild male wolf. No further attacks have
occurred since. (Cook, Kathy;
"Night of the Wolf" READER'S DIGEST, July 1997, pp.
114-119.)
Humans have
been attacked by wolves in Alaska. The late David Tobuk
carried scars on his face from a wolf attack on him as a
small child. The incident occurred around the turn of the
century in interior Alaska. David was playing in his
village near a river. An old wolf came into the village and
bit David in the face and started to carry him off. Other
Eskimos saw the wolf dragging the child off and started
yelling and screaming. The wolf dropped the child and was
shot by an old Eskimo trapper who had a gun.
(Interview with Frank Tobuk, brother,
Bettles, Alaska, December 1988.)
Paul Tritt,
an Athabascan Indian, was attacked by a lone wolf while
working a trap line. Paul was setting a snare, looked up and
saw a wolf lunging at him. He threw his arm up in front of
his face and it was bitten severely by the wolf. A struggle
ensued. Tritt was able to get to his sled, grab a gun and
kill the wolf. Nathaniel Frank, a companion, helped Tritt
wash the wound with warm water. Frank took Tritt, via dog
sled, to Fort Yukon to see a doctor. The arm healed, but
Tritt never regained full use of it. Several years later,
the arm developed problems and had to be amputated.
(Interview with Paul Tritt, Venetie,
Alaska, November, 1988)
Two wolf
attacks on humans occurred in 2000.
Icy Bay,
Alaska
- Six-year-old John Stenglein and a nine-year-old friend
were playing outside his family's trailer at a logging camp
when a wild wolf came out of the woods towards the boys. The
boys ran and the wolf attacked young Stenglein from the
back, biting him on the back and buttocks. Adults, hearing
the boy's screams, came and chased the wolf away. The wolf
returned a few moments later and was shot. According to
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) officials, the
wolf was a healthy wild wolf that apparently attacked
without provocation. The boy was flown to Yakutat and
recieved stitches there for his wounds. Later, however, the
bites became infected and the boy had to be hospitalized.
(Reports and Interviews on file
and available upon request.)
Vargas
Island, British Colombia
- University student, Scott Langevin, 23, was on a kayak
trip with friends. They camped out on a beach and, about 1
AM, Langevin awoke with something pulling on his sleeping
bag. He looked out and came face to face with a wild wolf.
Langevin yelled at the wolf and it attacked, biting him on
the hand. Langevin attempted to force the wolf toward a
nearby campfire, but as he turned, the wolf jumped on his
back and started biting him on the back of his head.
Friends, hearing his yells, came to his aid and scared the
wolf away. Fifty (50) stitches were required to close the
wound on Langevin's head. British Colombia Ministry of
Enviroment officials speculate the reason for the attack was
due to the wolves occasionally being fed by humans although
there was no evidence that Langevin or any of his party fed
these animals. (Reports and
Interviews on file and available upon request.)
This is but
a brief summary of a few verifiable accounts of attacks on
humans by healthy wild wolves in North American History.
Biologists
tell us that the wolves of Asia and North America are one
and the same species. Wolf attacks are common in many parts
of Asia.
The
government of India reported more than 100 deaths
attributable to wolves in one year during the eighties.
(Associated Press, 1985) This author recalls a news
report in 1990 in which Iran reported deaths from attacks by
wolves.
Rashid
Jamsheed, a U.S. trained biologist, was the game director
for Iran. He wrote a book entitled "Big Game Animals of
Iran (Persia)." In it he made several references to wolf
attacks on humans. Jamsheed says that for a millennia
people have reported wolves attacking and killing humans. In
winter, when starving wolves grow bold, they have been known
to enter towns and kill people in daylight on the streets.
Apparently, in Iran, there are many cases of wolves running
off with small children. There is also a story of a mounted
and armed policeman (gendarme) being followed by 3 wolves.
In time he had to get off his horse to attend to nature’s
call, leaving his rifle in the scabbard. A later
reconstruction at the scene of the gnawed bones and wolf
tracks indicated that the horse had bolted and left the man
defenseless, whereupon he was killed and eaten.
A Russian
Linguist, Will Graves, provided our organization with
reports of wolves killing Russian people in many areas of
that country. Reports indicate some of the wolves were
diseased while others appeared healthy.
(Reports on file and available upon
request.)
Reports
have also come from rural China. The official Zinhua News
Agency reported that a peasant woman, Wu Jing, snatched her
two daughters from the jaws of a wolf and wrestled with the
animal until rescuers arrived. Wu slashed at the wolf with a
sickle and it dropped one daughter, but grabbed her sister.
It was then Wu wrestled with the animal until herdsmen came
and drove the beast away. This incident occurred near
Shenyang City, about 380 miles northeast of Beijing.
(Chronicle Features, 1992)
The
question arises: "Why so many attacks in Asia and so few in
North America?"
Two factors
must be considered:
1.
The Philosophy of Conservation
- Our forefathers always believed that they had the right
and obligation to protect their livelihoods. Considerable
distance was necessary between man and wolf for the wolf to
survive.
2.
Firearms
- Inexpensive, efficient weapons gave man the upper hand in
the protection of his livelihood and for the taking of
wolves.
Milton P.
Skinner in his book, “The Yellowstone Nature Book”
(published 1924) wrote, "Most of the stories we hear of the
ferocity of these animals... come from Europe. There, they
are dangerous because they do not fear man, since they are
seldom hunted except by the lords of the manor. In America,
the wolves are the same kind, but they have found to their
bitter cost that practically every man and boy carries a
rifle..."
Skinner was
correct. The areas of Asia where wolf attacks occur on
humans are the same areas where the people have no firearms
or other effective means of predator control.
But ...
"Biologists claim there are no documented cases of healthy
wild wolves attacking humans."
What they
really mean is there are no "documented" cases by their
criteria which excludes historical accounts. Here's an
example.
Rabid
wolves were a frightening experience in the early years due
to their size and the seriousness of being bit, especially
before a vaccine was developed. The bitten subject usually
died a slow, miserable death. There are numerous accounts of
rabid wolves and their activities. Early Army forts have
medical records of rabid wolves coming into the posts and
biting several people before being killed. Most of the
people bitten died slow, horrible deaths. Additionally,
early historical writings relate personal accounts. This
author recalls one historical account telling of a man being
tied to a tree and left to die because of his violent
behavior with rabies after being bitten by a wolf. Such
deaths left profound impressions on eyewitnesses of those
events.
Dr. David
Mech, USFWS wolf biologist, states there are no "documented"
cases of rabid wolves below the fifty seventh latitude north
(near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory). When asked what
"documented" meant, he stated, "The head of the wolf must be
removed, sent to a lab for testing and found to be rabid."
Those
requirements for documentation negate all historical
records!
As with
rabid wolves, the biologist can say, "There are no
`documented' cases of wild healthy wolves attacking humans."
In order to be "documented" these unreasonable criteria must
be met:
1.The
wolf has to be killed, examined and found to be healthy.
2.It must be
proven that the wolf was never kept in captivity in its
entire life.
3.There
must be eyewitnesses to the attack.
4.The
person must die from their wounds (bites are generally not
considered attacks according to the biologists).
That is a
"documented" attack.
Such
criteria make it very difficult to document any historical
account of a wolf attack on a human!
Biologists
assume when a wolf attacks a human, that there must be
something wrong with the wolf. It's either been in captivity
or it's sick or whatever. They don't examine the evidence in
an unbiased manner or use historical tests.
Historically, there are four reasons for wolf attacks on
humans:
1.Disease
such as rabies.
2.Extreme
hunger.
3.
Familiarity/Disposition - This is an either/or situation.
Familiarity is the zoo setting, captive wolves, etc.
Disposition is a particularly aggressive wolf which may not
fear man as most wolves do.
4.In the heat
of the chase and kill - This is where a hiker, trapper or
whoever disturbs a fresh chase and kill by wolves. The
person walks into the scene only to be attacked by the
wolves.
It is our
belief that a predator's fear of man is both instinctive and
learned behavior. For example, wolves raised as pets or in
zoos are well documented to attack and kill humans.
Alyshia
Berzyck, of Minnesota, was attacked and killed by a wolf on
a chain on June 3, 1989. The wolf tore up her kidney, liver
and bit a hole through her aorta. One month later, on July
1, 1989, Peter Lemke, 5, lost 12 inches of his intestine and
colon and suffered bites to his stomach, neck, legs, arms
and back in another wolf attack in Kenyon, Minnesota.
(Reports on file and available upon
request.)
Zoos carry
abundant records of wolf attacks on people, particularly
children. The child climbs the enclosure fence to pet the
"dog" and is attacked.
Zoos and
domestic settings are unnatural in that they place man and
wolf in close proximity and they become accustomed to each
other. Consequently attacks occur.
Today
predator control is very restricted in scope, and as a
result, attacks on humans by predators are becoming more
common. In recent years, healthy coyotes in Yellowstone Park
have attacked humans. Similar attacks have occurred in the
National Parks of Canada.
On January
14, 1991, a healthy mountain lion attacked and killed an
eighteen-year-old high school senior, Scott Lancaster, in
Idaho Springs, Colorado. The boy was jogging on a jogging
path within the city limits of the town when the lion
attacked and killed him.
(Report on file at Abundant Wildlife Society of North
America)
Copyright
1995, 2000, T. R. Mader, Research Division
Kenton Joel
Carnegie Wolf Attack
A
judicial inquest carried out by
the Provincial Government of
Saskatchwan (Canada) in 2007
concluded that Kenton Joel
Carnegie (born
February
11,
1983),
a
Canadian
geological engineering student,
was killed by wolves on Tuesday,
November 8, 2005 at Points North
Landing,
Saskatchewan, Canada.
The decision, however, was
controversial because of the
uncertainty surrounding the
evidence and the differing
interpretations of the evidence
by various highly qualified
experts. Consequently, the
actual cause of death remains
the subject of intense debate.
In addition, much of the
controversy now centres on
accusations by the Carnegie
family and Dr. Valerius Geist
that the official investigation
carried out by the Government of
Saskatchewan was part of an
international cover-up and
conspiracy intended to protect
the reputation of wolves.
Although there were no
eyewitnesses to the attack,
there had been several previous
incidents in the region of
wolves and black bears acting
aggressively toward people. The
first, official investigation
initiated by the Chief Coroner
of Saskatchewan was headed by
carnivore biologist Dr. Paul
Paquet and forensic
anthropologist Dr. Ernest
Walker, who concluded that
Carnegie died as the result of a
violent predatory attack, either
by wolves (Canis lupus)
or an
American
black bear (Ursus
americanus).[1]
Bear expert Dr. Stephen Herrero[1]
came to the same conclusion,
although Herrero believed the
responsible predator was likely
a black bear. An independent
investigation by National
Geographic Society (NGS), led by
animal behaviorist Dr. Jane
Packard and forensic
anthropologist Dr. Gary Haynes,
concurred with the equivocal
results of the official
investigation. Similarly, bear
specialist Wayne McRory
concluded that a black bear was
the probable predator after
reviewing the physical evidence.[2]
Later, private investigations
conducted on behalf of the
Carnegie family by ethologist
Dr. Valerius Geist,[3]
wildlife biologist Dr. Brent
Patterson[4]
and wolf biologist Mark McNay[5]
strengthened the case for the
wolf theory, although
Patterson's findings were
equivocal. Among the various
investigators, only Paquet and
Haynes visited and carried out
an onsite assessment of the
accident scene.[6]
Despite disagreements between
the official investigation and
investigations commissioned by
the Carnegie family, all parties
agreed that the wolves and black
bears inhabiting the area were
habituated
to humans through regular visits
to an illegal
landfill
operated by the owner of Points
North Camp, Mark Eikel.
The investigation on Carnegie's
death lasted two years, and
provoked intense debate on
wildlife management and garbage
disposal in the area, as well as
putting into question the
popular notion of healthy wild
wolves in North America being
relatively harmless to humans.
One of four photographs taken by Chris van
Gelder of Todd Svarchopf fending off an
aggressive wolf on November 4th 2005, four days
before the
Kenton Joel Carnegie wolf
attack.
Other Reported Wolf
Attacks In The Wild
1.Comox
Valley, British Colombia, 1986 - While driving a tractor, Jakob
Knopp was followed by three wolves to his barn. They didn't
leave, but kept snarling and showing their teeth. Knopp ran to
his barn, retreived a rifle and had to shoot two of the three
wolves before the third left the area.
2.George
Williams, a retired sailor heard a commotion in his chicken coup
one night. Thinking it was raccoons he took his single shot 22
rifle and headed for the coup. He rounded his fishing boat and
trailer when a wolf leaped at him. He instinctively reacted with
a snap shot with the rifle and dropped the wolf. A second wolf
came at him before he could reload and George swung the rifle
and struck the wolf across the head, stunning it. George
retreated to the house until morning and found the wolf he had
shot, the other was gone.
3.Clarence
Lewis was picking berries on a logging road about a mile from
Knopp's farm when he faced four wolves. Lewis yelled at them,
two left and the other two advanced towards him. He took a
branch and took a couple of threatening steps at them. They went
into the brush and stayed close to him. Lewis faced the wolves
and walked backward for two miles until he reached his car.
4.Don
Hamilton, Conservation Officer at Nanaimo went to investigate a
livestock killing by wolves. Wolves had killed a number of sheep
in a pasture and Don went out to examine the kills. He came upon
the scene and saw a large gray wolf feeding on one of the sheep.
The wolf looked at him, growled and started running towards him
at full speed. The wolf was over 100 yards away and never broke
stride as it approached Don. At approximately 15 feet, Don shot
the wolf to stop its attack. Don, who has many years experience
with wolves, stated that he was convinced that the wolf was
going to attack him because of its growling, snarling and
aggressive behavior.
5.In
1947, a man was hunting cougar on Vancouver Island and was
attacked by a pack of seven wolves. The man backed against a
tree and shot the leader of the pack. The pack instantly tore
the animal to shreds while the hunter made his escape.
6.Clarence
Lindley was reportedly attacked by a 125-pound timber wolf. The
incident occurred in early November, 1992 on the Figure 4 Ranch
in Dunn County, North Dakota. Lindley was hunting horseback when
the wolf attacked Lindley's horse causing it to jump and fall.
Lindley was able to grab his saddle gun, a lever action
Winchester 94, as the horse fell. The horse recovered its
balance and Lindley found himself face to face with a snarling
wolf. "My heart was pounding," said Lindley, "I could see those
big teeth. He was less than five feet away... He meant business;
he wasn't going to back off." Lindley fired his rifle at point
blank range and killed the wolf with a shot to the neck. Lindley
left the wolf since he couldn't get his horse close to it. On
return to his hunting camp, his hunter friends failed to believe
the account. They returned to the scene and skinned the wolf.
The pelt was a flawless black and gray pelt measuring seven and
a half feet from its feet to its snout. Its bottom teeth
measured one and a half inches; top teeth - one and a quarter
inches. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF)
confiscated the hide and head of the wolf and took it to the U.
S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for determination of its
species. Tests revealed that the wolf was non-rabid. The wolf
was thought to have come from Canada. (Reports on file and available upon
request.)
Copyright
1995, 2000, T. R. Mader, Research DivisionPermission
granted to disseminate and/or reprint if credit is given to
the source.
ABUNDANT WILDLIFE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICAP.
O. Box 2
Beresford, SD 57004
History
of Attacks
When settlers
began colonizing the continent, they noticed that while local
wolves were more numerous than in Europe, they were less
aggressive.[11]
In Canada, an
Ontario newspaper offered a
$100 reward for proof of an unprovoked wolf attack on a human.
The money was left uncollected.[3]
Though
Theodore Roosevelt considered
the large timber wolves of north-western Montana and Washington
equal to Northern European wolves in size and strength, he noted
they were nonetheless much shyer around man.[12]
In modern times,
humans begin to encroach on wolf habitats more contacts are
being recorded. Often the contact is because the person is
walking their pet
dog, and the wolf pack
considers the dog a prey item, inciting an attack.[13][14][15][16]
Retired wolf biologist Mark McNay compiled 80 events in Alaska
and Canada where wolves closely approached or attacked people,
finding 39 cases of aggression by apparently healthy wolves, and
29 cases of fearless behavior by non-aggressive wolves.[17]
Unlike the grey
wolf, the
red wolf has not been known to
attack people. However, packs of red wolves were reported to
scavenge on battlefield corpses during the
Mexican-American War.
Why Hunt
Wolves
Comparing the number of
wolf-human and wolf-livestock conflicts in areas where
wolves are regularly hunted verses areas where wolves are
seldom
hunted, it is easy to conclude that hunting reinforces
wolves fear of humans and ranching operations. Therefore a
hunted population of wolves is far likelier to co-exist in today's
human occupied landscapes.
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