Pack of Wolves kill, eat teacher who was jogging in Alaska

[melensdad]

I was given some sad information from a friend of mine who is a bush pilot up in Alaska. It appears that a pack of wolves killed a female teacher in an Alaskan Bush town.

http://www.adn.com/2010/03/09/117572...-villager.html

In 2 follow ups to the story it was confirmed that it was a wolf attack that killed this young woman and that the townspeople are now hunting the wolves, and the state is also sending in state wildlife officers to hunt the wolf pack.

[Inquartata]

Running=prey behavior.

I'll stick to fencing.

[EldRick]

Just goes to show that you should always have a sword with you when you go jogging. It would be particularly useful in Central Park, NYC.

[melensdad]

Just goes to show that you should always have a sword with you when you go jogging. It would be particularly useful in Central Park, NY.

I'm actually pretty surprised that she was jogging in Alaska without a firearm. Most folks I know up there would never dream of walking alone outside of town without a gun powerful enough to stop a bear. But in the case of a wolf attack a sword could be handy if you could wield it fast enough and inflict enough tissue damage to the vitals. Based on the follow up stories I've seen she was attacked by a wolf pack consisting of at least 3 or 4 wolves simultaneously attacking. Seems like a pretty horrid way to die and a tragic end to a life.

[noodle]

I'm actually pretty surprised that she was jogging in Alaska without a firearm. Most folks I know up there would never dream of walking alone outside of town without a gun powerful enough to stop a bear.

that was my initial thought, too. unless they totally surprised her.

[Inquartata]

Well, the story did say that she was new to the area.

I had a friend in the Army who had been stationed in Alaska and claimed that when they walked into town they got issued M-16s...not for bear or wolf but in case of moose encounters...

[noodle]

Well, the story did say that she was new to the area.

I had a friend in the Army who had been stationed in Alaska and claimed that when they walked into town they got issued M-16s...not for bear or wolf but in case of moose encounters...

mmm, fair. i didn't notice that part.

seems that that would be an important thing to learn when new to a place like that though. perhaps she didn't like guns

[melensdad]

...not for bear or wolf but in case of moose encounters...

From what I am hearing, the moose (and in some areas elk and caribou) populations are being dramatically reduced by the wolves, which apparently are in far greater numbers in many areas than many seem to believe. I've now seen several stories about this particular teacher's death and it appears, based on accounts in the news stories, that the wolf population in this area is high enough that they literally come to the edges of the town looking for food. If they can't find it in the wild, I suppose the logical place to come is to town.

I suspect that Alaska will increase wolf culls this year because of this.

Down here in the lower 48 there is a lot of pressure to cull the wolves that come outside of Yellowstone because the elk herds have been reduced by a significant amount. Not politically popular among some circles but I suppose the death of a teacher may be reasonable justification for a substantial wolf cull.

[Inquartata]

There were some hard winters during the Dark Ages when wolves were recorded as coming into Paris...a much smaller, less urbanized Paris, but still a city by the standards of the times.

Still, reliable accounts of wolves attacking human beings are perishingly rare in the medieval record. Lots of hysterical fears of it, but not much more, apparently.

The story linked was pretty noncommittal. Have they definitely established since that it was feral wolves, not hybrid pets or wild dogs or teens with a Twilight fetish?

[melensdad]

The story linked was pretty noncommittal. Have they definitely established since that it was feral wolves, not hybrid pets or wild dogs or teens with a Twilight fetish?

Here is another story, clearly still non-committal on the type of animal, but definitely animal:

Autopsy concludes animal killed rural teacher
By DAN JOLING / Associated Press Writer
Published: March 11th, 2010 03:17 PM
Last Modified: March 11th, 2010 03:17 PM
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/11/117938...al-killed.html

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An autopsy has concluded that a rural teacher was killed by animals and the head of the Alaska State Troopers says wolves are the likely suspect.
However, Col. Audie Holloway says the autopsy could not say for sure what animals are to blame.

Holloway says DNA tests might determine whether wolves are responsible for the death of 32-year-old Candice Berner.

Berner's body was found Monday night about a mile outside Chignik Lake, a community on the Alaska Peninsula about 474 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The body had been dragged off the road to the village's lagoon and was surrounded by wolf tracks.

Holloway says the autopsy ruled out other causes of death.
... story continues at link above ...

But perhaps this story update might be a bit more definite:

State seeks to trap or kill wolves blamed in teacher's death
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/11/117936...by-wolves.html
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com
Published: March 12th, 2010 10:23 AM
Last Modified: March 12th, 2010 10:24 AM

Alaska State Troopers on Thursday concluded a woman found dead in Chignik Lake early this week was most likely killed in a wolf attack, and state authorities were headed there to try to capture or kill the animals.

Candice Berner, 32, appeared to have been killed Monday evening during a run along a remote road outside the Alaska Peninsula community, according to troopers.

The state medical examiner concluded, following an autopsy Thursday morning, that the cause of death was "multiple injuries due to animal mauling." Based on interviews with biologists and villagers in Chignik Lake, troopers concluded wolves were the animals most likely responsible, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said in a statement.

The state Department of Fish and Game still wants to conduct DNA testing to help study the incident, but troopers are convinced it was a wolf attack, troopers director Col. Audie Holloway said.

"We are as close to 100 percent certain as you can be," Holloway said.

Troopers investigating the scene found many wolf paw prints around the body, which had been partially predated, and bloody drag marks in the snow, he said. Investigators were able to conclude after the autopsy that the animal injuries caused the death and were not inflicted post-mortem, he said.

"She was bleeding as she was being moved, being drug, and the damage to the throat," Holloway said. "The medical examiner concluded that she wasn't killed by any other method and that the damage to the throat was severe. There were animal bite marks on the throat.

"Wolves, just like big cats, usually attack the wind pipe area and try to control the victim that way."

It appeared the attack was predatory, motivated by wolves wanting something to eat, he said.

... story continues at link above ...

[migopod]

And does Michael J. Fox have an alibi?

[telkanuru]

It's a known fact that wolf attacks go down by 29.BS% if the jogger is carrying openly.

[Allen Evans]

I was very surprised by this story. All the time I spent in Alaska (about 30 years) including living outside of Fairbanks city limits and travel by boat and snow machine in the Interior bush, I encountered wolves only twice. Both times, they froze when we blundered into each other, and then faded away (I was unarmed on one of those occasions, and armed on the other). I had a few concerns about wildlife when I was out in the bush, but wolves were never part of that picture.

The authorities seem pretty certain it's an attack by wolves and not feral dogs, and if so, it's the first time I've heard of wolves attacking a human. Feral dog attacks, on the other hand, are fairly common, mostly against children and small adults, as you would expect.

Quite a few joggers run in Alaska without being armed. For one thing, running with a holstered pistol -- even a small caliber one -- is very uncomfortable. Second, this time of year, it would be very unusual to run into a bear, and other animals really don't make the radar.

That, however, is likely to change.

A

[Inquartata]

I dunno, I am still seeing "most likely" in those follow-up stories. The ME will only commit to "animal", and I'd think he'd know better than the state police chief. But then, even ME's are on occasion mistaken.


One of the stories I saw said "The only known previous fatal wolf attack in North America over the last 100 years occurred in 2005, when a young geology student was attacked and partially eaten by a pack of wolves in northern Saskatchewan.

In at least two other cases, there were attacks -- in Alaska and again in Saskatchewan -- that were halted by rescuers before they became fatal."

So certainly the survivors should be pretty reliable witnesses. If it happens it must be possible, so it's certainly possible in this case.

[Inquartata]

...running is very uncomfortable.

I fixed that for you.

this time of year, it would be very unusual to run into a bear, and other animals really don't make the radar.

[/QUOTE]

Lynx? Wolverine? Mountain lions?

[I_luv_saber]

Very sad, but I'm missing the tie-in to politics...

[Allen Evans]

Lynx? Wolverine? Mountain lions?

Stop watching National Geographic. There are no mountain lions in Alaska, wolverines avoid humans at all costs (well, except for their abandoned cabins, which they some how manage to get into and rip to shreds) and I've never actually seen a lynx in the wild (and they are rather small and never travel in packs, so aren't much of a danger).

Seriously, tourists in RV's are about 10-20 times more dangerous than animals in Alaska. I've had plenty of close calls with them.

A

[Tomas N]

Can you really go out for a run carrying a firearm powerful enough to stop a grizzly? My understanding is that a handgun is probably not going to do it.

[melensdad]

Can you really go out for a run carrying a firearm powerful enough to stop a grizzly? My understanding is that a handgun is probably not going to do it.

No I doubt it would be possible to go for a run carrying such a handgun. But you can go for a walk carrying such a handgun. A heavily loaded 44 Magnum, a 454, a 460 Ruger and several other handguns will stop a large bear.

This story below is about a man out for a walk with his dog (and his handgun).
http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos...alaska?photo=0

[Allen Evans]

Most of the Alaskan's I know carry .44 or the .454 for bear protection if they don't want to be encumbered while outside. When I was very young, a .357 was considered de riguer (and there are several stories of bears being dropped by a .357) but everyone quickly switched to the large calibers as they become more popular and available.

If a bear encounter is likely, most carry 12 gauge shotguns with alternating 00 shot and slugs (which is what I usually carried).

This story was interesting in the statement that the guide's gun "jammed". Since the Ruger is a revolver, perhaps he meant "misfired" or "ran out of ammunition".