If you followed the news this week you might have read the article reporting the death of young woman in Alaska. People die all the time, but officials in Chignik Bay, Alaska, say Candice Berner appeared to have been mauled to death by animals. The 32-year-old teacher was jogging along a rural road, attacked and her body was drug off of the road. Tracks around the body and drag marks from the road all point the finger to one animal: wolves.
An autopsy noted that there were multiple injuries due to an animal mauling and DNA is being tested to confirm the presence of wolves. Expert testimony will also be sought to help confirm the cause of death. From the sign involved it appears as if up to four wolves may have been involved in the attack.
Wolf attacks are indeed rare, but not unheard of. In 2005 a 22-year-old Saskatchewan man was hunted and killed by wolves. An inquiry indicated the wolves were healthy and also noted that this was the first ever documented case of a human being killed by a wolf in North America. In less than five years we have another fatality. Is this the start of a trend?
Coming soon to a neighborhood near you?
Let’s hope not. I can’t prove the authenticity of this photo, but it was sent to me this winter and shows a wolf with buildings in the background. Friends of mine from the Bozeman area say it is the campus of Montana State University. Regardless of the location, this wolf is certainly not shying away from neighborhood prowling. I don’t know about you, but any wolf hanging out around a city, particularly a noisy campus, is looking for trouble.
I fully know that when you or I go into the woods we have to consider the danger we may encounter on each journey. I also appreciate the wildness factor wolves bring to the woods. That said; wolves are a species with huge potential to impact the environment and deserve to be managed as such.
Mark Kayser
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