Banff Motorcyclist Pursued by ‘Massive’ Grey Wolf Along Stretch of B.C. Highway, Takes Pictures

National Post ^ | Tristin Hopper

[nickcarraway]

Last Saturday, Banff mechanic Tim Bartlett was christening a new motorcycle through the Rocky Mountains when he had a rare wildlife encounter that was equal parts terrifying and enchanting. On a stretch of British Columbia’s Highway 93, a massive grey wolf emerged from the trees, lunged at his speeding ride and chased after him at full speed as he pulled away.

The story would have become little more than another legend clanging around the roadhouses of Western Canada if Mr. Bartlett had not whipped a camera out of his top pocket to record the event for posterity; capturing a series of rare snapshots that have since been beamed around the world. The Post’s Tristin Hopper reached him by phone on Friday morning.

How did this happen?

I was about 320 [kilometers] into a 400 k trip … and was doing about 90km/h in the right hand lane going north and [the wolf] came from the left hand side of the road. It darted out, crossed the other lane and I had to swerve and accelerate to get around it. I went forward about 100 meters and when I turned around it was just standing in the middle of the lane watching me.

How close did it get to you? It was coming at me. It probably got to within a couple meters, easy, maybe a meter. If I’d have slowed down I would have definitely hit it, so I just opened it up, got a bit of power and got around it. I’ve had dogs run out at me on bikes before and you sort of get a feel for the distance the speed you’re going, but it was pretty tight.

But after you’d gotten some distance between you, that’s when you pulled around for a closer look?

[Cicero]

Oh look, he wants to play!

Just so. It looks very much like my German Shepherd mix, when she comes up to greet me and give me a lick.

[steerpike100]

I’ve seen a cat fish, and a horse fly through a window.

[BykrBayb]

Oh for crying out loud! Did you read the comments there? What a bunch of liberal nut buckets.

[familyop]

It’s not so “massive.” I’ve seen larger wolves on the U.S. Rockies.

[Jeff Head]

That's not that big of a wolf, particularly for a Candian wolf.

Here in Idaho, and throughout the Intermountain West, where the Candian Wolves were introduced in the mid 1990s, they have grwon rapidly in numbers.

So bad, that now in Idaho, Wyoming, and other places they now have wolf hunts. And well they should. In the 2011 and 2012 hunts, I know some people who killed wolves well in excess oif 150 lbs. Here are some pictures:

Now those are BIG wolves...and dangerous too.

We have large packs of them here in the mountains. One pack, that ranges 50-100 miles from where I sit right now looks like this:

The damage they do is significant. In addition to depleting dear and elk herds, they cause significant damage to livestcok like cows:

...and sheep:

And, if your dogs are out with you, are you live out in the hills...they kill your dogs too:

The sad thing is, these animals are killing machines. most of the time, they just kill and leave them there. MAny times they do not even eat what they kill.

[x]

I guess gay marriage really was a slippery slope ...

[huldah1776]

First thing I thought, too! Some dogs Love to chase cars.

[Kenny Bunk]

Jeff, I gotta tellya, I had no idea wolves were so large out in your neck’othe’woods. In Maine, we seem to have developed a coyote-wolf-dog hybrid sort of SOB that, while it’s grey and all that and a small pack can get a moose down, is nowhere near that size. Those are some bear-sized heads!

[Squantos]

Wow.... Would not be happy to encounter that pack .

Dang....!

[Moonman62]

Now those are BIG wolves...and dangerous too.

A couple of them look like small lions.

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[nickcarraway]

The boy who cried wolf.

[nickcarraway]

The boy who cried wolf.

[Tijeras_Slim]

There’s a wolf pelt in a local gun store here in NM I frequent and I’ve always been amazed at the size of it.

It isn’t half what some of those one’s you posted are.

[Tijeras_Slim]

No shineola... that’s definitely a “save the last bullet” situation.

[Benito Cereno]

Reminds me of the guy who soiled his tighty whiteys taking these pictures in Yellowstone:

[Bearshouse]

Really.... Looks just like my Malamute. They love to chase anything.

[bobby.223]

Holy sh$t!!! I live up in the boonies/mountains and there are two known established packs ‘operating’ about 15-25 miles away from here but none of the locals has seen one of ‘em that goes anywhere near the size of these monsters! Great pics!

[Billthedrill]

"Where wolf?"
"There wolf!"

There castle. Why are we talking like this?

[Squantos]

Yep yep yep ..... Yelp !