AP - Wolf Shot Dead After Attack on 6-Year-Old Boy

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Slowpoke_Rodrigo

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Apr 27, 2000 - 06:25 AM


Wolf Shot Dead After Attack on 6-Year-Old Boy
The Associated Press

YAKUTAT, Alaska (AP) - A wolf attacked a 6-year-old boy at a logging camp and tried to drag the child into woods before it was chased away by adults.
The wolf returned about 10 minutes later and was shot dead, authorities said. Game officials said such attacks are rare, and the wolf's head was being flown to Fairbanks to be tested for rabies.

"I'm not aware of a recorded incident of this happening in Alaska, and probably in the United States or North America," Mike McDonald, an officer with the state Fish and Game Department, told KTUU-TV in Anchorage.

State troopers said the boy, John Stingline, was bitten once in his back and twice on the buttocks. The bite to the back was the most severe injury and required stitches, authorities said. The other bites left puncture wounds.

Witnesses said the boy was playing in a clump of small trees at the logging camp in Icy Bay when the wolf emerged from woods about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The wolf was "aware of the other people around him, but his whole intention was trying to take off with the little boy," said camper Teresa Thompson. "He had literally picked the little boy off the ground, and this little boy is probably about 70 pounds."

A camp carpenter threw rocks at the wolf and a dog chased it away, Thompson said. She said her husband spotted the animal about 10 minutes later and shot it.

State biologists said the wolf weighed about 75 pounds and was wearing a radio collar. Wildlife officials collar wolves to track and study their movements in the wild.

Icy Bay is about 300 miles east of Anchorage.



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Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...

Vote for the Neal Knox 13

I'll see you at the TFL End Of Summer Meet!
 
Could it be that those attacked by wolves in the past were not around to tell about the attacks? It seems odd that while in the past there were documented reports of attacks by wolves (and mountain lions), today neither of the animals attack humans but are gentle creatures that flee at the sight of man.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
Some things I hear about wolves leave me a little perplexed. They seem to be unbelievably strong. Can a wolf really pick up its own body weight?

Jim,

Mountain lions in Southern California occasionally nab a jogger or two. Seems they can't resist a good chase ;) But its very strange to hear about wolves attacking. They're usually invisible to humans. I'd be surprised if the rabies test comes back negative.

Surprising how many people don't take the wilderness seriously. You'd think in Alaska they'd have more sense. I know when I go anywhere where there's even a remote chance of wild animals that I can't kill bare-handed, I arm myself.
 
Good idea to always pack in the woods. The biggest threats that I've gotten to life and limb over the years of actually handling dangerous wild animal, is from the 2 legged beasts. I can believe that a hungry wolf, as rare as that may be, could drag a boy and kill him. I've seen smaller dogs do things you'd never expect. Once they turn wild its instinctual to survive. Its rare for these shy animals to do this, but then again, I've argued with one of the foremosts wildlife experts in America about cougars. He was proven wrong the same year as our debate. Classes of animals have certain habbits and a certain amount of predictibility, but their personalities and habbits can vary from individual to individual. That is where these situations should be judged by....the individual, not the species.

robert

All God's creatures, great and small...
It twas He Who made them all.

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"But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." -Jesus Christ (Luke 22:36, see John 3:15-18)
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"Reasonable gun law?............There's No such critter!" --EQ
 
In Wyoming (one of the last footholds for wolves and now re-introduced) a wolf attack is/was almost unheard of. Wolves rarely attack humans. Have a few incidents of mountain lions attacking humans. Once in a while a grizzly bear will maul some tourist. The animal most likely to attack a human in Wyoming is the Bison.
 
I spent some time training in Alaska in the '60's. Once we were on Escape and Evasion in winter at night . We heard howls getting closer and closer . As many people know live ammo is forbidden during training exercises such as that . Somehow I had 2 mags of 7.62 in my pack . Darned if everybody else didn't have a couple of mags or more also . We were so embarrased we never told anyone . Anyway the moral of the story is that Alaska is a dangerous place AT ALL TIMES . You get away from the city and you may as well be a thousand miles from anywhere . If you're not packing ...you might be lunch .

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TOM SASS AMERICAN LEGION NRA
 
The wolf is sometimes refered to as the "Ghost of the forrest" for a reason. They are rarely seen by humans. Wolf attacks are indeed rare and most have been caused by the human doing something wrong.
Best guess, the boy and wolf stumbled on to each other by pure accident. The boy ran and the wolf instinctively gave chase as if hunting.
BTW: I have no trouble believing a 75 lb. wolf could carry off a 70 lb. boy. Most animals are much stronger than they look.

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TFL's official "Curmudgeon Member" and damned proud of it!
 
Animal strength - not wolves, but I heard
a lecture on why primates like chimps are so much strong than us, pound for pound.

1. Better and more efficient oxygen metabolism.

2. Different distribution of muscle fibers
and leverage in their arms.

3. Much higher density of mitochondria in their tissues.

Great apes can snap 4X4s with their hands like twigs. Ouch.

Mountain lions can pick up German shepards with ease.
 
Let's not forget the dreaded jackalope!
IMAG0002.GIF



[This message has been edited by Hydejam (edited April 28, 2000).]
 
That's not a jackalope!!! I've seen jackalopes, and that's definately not one. My field guide describes it as Mulie-tail.
 
Wolves only attack unguarded sheep herds here (when there's a dog,
they leave them alone).

However, most foreigners here underestimate the local breed of wild
boars, well-fed with corn and fruits, they grow very fat and very
large. A certain speciment made it to 650 pounds until a hunter
decided he and his family needed a decent lunch.

Also, to hunt such beasts, a .30 (also includes 7.5x55mm) is usually
not enough unless at close range. And at close range, a 12 gauge slug
will work much better. My dad shoots them with a 375 Weatherby Magnum,
and even then, two center hits don't necessarly stop such a beast from
killing a dog. Alas, our sort has gotten so aggressive that pose a
danger to a badly-trained hunter.
 
Is it possible? : "Wolves Killing Children In India www.iup.edu/~wolf/wolves.htmlx

According to a front page article by John F. Burns entitled "In India, Attacks by Wolves Spark Old Fears and Hatred" (in the
Sunday, September 1, 1996 issue of the New York Times) wolves near Banbirpur, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India are
killing children. The killings began five months ago. To date, 33 children have been carried off and 20 others have been seriously
mauled. In one case a four-year-old boy was carried away by a wolf with only his head being found three days later by
authorities."

I admire wolves. I wish I hadn't missed the migratory Bison on the grass plains of this continent. Like the Grizzley, it is getting impractical to pretend they still have a real home .
 
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