Death in Canada could alter state's wolf debate-Apparent attack occurs as Wi packs proliferate

Journal Sentinel ^ | 12-23-05 | LEE BERGQUIST

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this Upper Midwest (and anyone else) list, largely rural and outdoors issues, please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

[billorites]

[BallandPowder]

Powder..Patch..Ball FIRE!

Shoot, shovel, shutup.....

[ClearCase_guy]

I've heard for many years that the stories of wolves attacking people are myths. In America, in Europe, in Russia, wherever ... you hear stories through the ages, but in fact there's no evidence that wolves attack people. They're afraid of us, you know? This is what I've been told and read all my life.

Then this:

Thus far authorities said Carnegie's death is thought to be the first documented case in the wild of healthy wolves killing a human in North America since 1900.

So, apparently, there have been such cases in the past. And as soon as wolf populations are allowed to increase, the fatal attacks resume. So, now everyone knows that wolves are dangerous, and are fully capable of killing people, right? So I don't have to read any more "man-eating wolves are a myth" garbage, right?

"I think you can safely say that wolf attacks are rare, and fatal attacks are unknown," said Paul Paquet, a wolf biologist at the University of Calgary who is helping to investigate the death for provincial authorities. "So this attack is really exceptional."

Okay, so already we're back to "fatal attacks are unknown". That didn't take long. Sheesh.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> So, apparently, there have been such cases in the past. And as soon as wolf populations are allowed to increase, the fatal attacks resume. So, now everyone knows that wolves are dangerous, and are fully capable of killing people, right? So I don't have to read any more "man-eating wolves are a myth" garbage, right?

I for one do not believe "wolves" were responsible for this attack.

[BradyLS]

I'd heard forever from folks that "wolves don't attack/kill humans" either. Of course, those same folks would turn around and say how the wolf is a wild animal capable of killing herd animals and such "so don'chu go near 'em." And they need big preserves for hunting wild game that the little people can only have limited access to.

Anywhoo... The one thing I took away was that wolves and other pack animals (dogs, for example, or lions) stalk and take down the weak-- whether that means physically sick or the alone and defenseless. We read about domesticated dog packs killing people, so seems plausible to me for a pack of wolves to go after a lone human.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

This is what may happen if you leave the 12 guage pump at home!

[headsonpikes]

I've heard for many years that the stories of wolves attacking people are myths. In America, in Europe, in Russia, wherever ... you hear stories through the ages, but in fact there's no evidence that wolves attack people. They're afraid of us, you know? This is what I've been told and read all my life.

One mid-winter back in the '70s, I put my pick-up in a ranch-road ditch in the northern Peace District of B.C. During my 7 mile trek through the pre-dawn 30 below darkness, I was followed by a single wolf who kept about 50 yards away in the bush beside the road. At the time, I was comforted by my belief that wolves won't attack humans. Thank God the wolf believed that too!

[Sax]

..."but then some animals ventured in from Minnesota without a state-sanctioned reintroduction plan."

The audacity of some animals!

[Alberta's Child]

Wolf attacks have been extremely rare, and as far as I know there have been no other documented cases of a fatal wolf attack on a human being over the years. This is primarily because the combination of two things -- the generally cautious nature of a wolf and the sparse human population in areas where wolves thrive -- makes cases of human/wolf interaction in the wild quite rare.

The biggest threat a wolf pack presents in a human context is to herd animals and pets, since wolves will often see these animals as prey instead of as something to shy away from.

[jdsteel]

This is what may happen if you leave the 12 guage pump at home!

If I'd be walking around in the wilds I sure as shootin' would also be excersing my 2nd amendment rights.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I for one do not believe "wolves" were responsible for this attack.

What's your theory?

[saganite]

What's your thoughts? If not wolves, what do you believe did it?

[yarddog]

I think a lot of these statements are not backed up by facts but simply repeating what someone else says.

I recall reading in Outdoor Life many years ago, that not a single person had ever successfully defended themself against a bear attack with a handgun.

Not a week later, I saw an article in paper where a guy in Alaska had killed a Bear with a Ruger .44 mag which had attacked him.

[Noachian]

...that wolves can kill people," ...wolves have never killed humans in North America ...

Lets see if I have this right: wolves CAN kill people, but never have?

We have old Indian tales of wolves attacking people who left the safety of their village in olden times when wolves were more prevalent, but today's "wolf huggers" are telling us that wolves won't kill people on the entire continent of North America. How do they know that?

[DieHard the Hunter]

> ...I was followed by a single wolf who kept about 50 yards away in the bush beside the road.

I believe it, I can picture the scene, and I would have given my left nut to have seen it with you. Wolves are magnificent creatures, blimmin' smart pack animals, intelligent, gorgeous.

You were probably safer in those woods than you would have been in downtown Auckland City, mate. After all, you had an armed escort, with re-enforcements a mere howl away.

(not kidding...)

[ClearCase_guy]

Gotta spot the weasel words in the original post:

Thus far authorities said Carnegie's death is thought to be the first documented case in the wild of healthy wolves killing a human in North America since 1900.

You need "documentation" for it to count. Pictures. Plaster casts of paw prints. Videotape. You don't have that stuff? Never happened.

Also, this is the first case involving a "healthy" wolf. A rabid wolf? Oh, well, that's different ... but ... you know ... that doesn't count ...

[Vaquero]

Shoot, shovel, shutup..... Yup, the 3 S's

[WorkingClassFilth]

"I think you can safely say that wolf attacks are rare, and fatal attacks are unknown," said Paul Paquet, a wolf biologist at the University of Calgary who is helping to investigate the death for provincial authorities. "So this attack is really exceptional."

Right off the bat, two fatal errors in what this jack@ss says. 1) Wolf attacks, when wolf populations are up, are NOT rare. Historical accounts are full of such eye witness evidence - just not witnessed by a modern SCI-EN-TIST. 2) This one really takes the cake: "...fatal attacks are unknown." Yeah, well what do you call the pieces of Mr. Carnegie in the stomach of the wolves?

If these clowns simply said we want wolves and we're going to have wolves, period, then we'd understand the real situation. As it is, people are being gradually being reintroduced to a problem they dealt with a century ago under force of law and without answers to the consequence. Let these fools take it as far as they want and they'll eventually remove rural people from their property and put us all in concrete rabbit warrens in the heart of sustainable urban cores. As one article buried somewhere here on FR even documented, one environmentalist group even wanted to establish a wolf pack in Central Park (canine, that is).

Sheesh.