Alaska officials kill 2 wolves blamed in woman's death
by The Associated Press
Mar 16, 2010 | 4294 views | 16 16 comments | 14 14 recommendations | email to a friend | print
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Alaska Fish and Game spokeswoman says state officials have located and killed two of the wolves believed responsible for the death of a teacher near Chignik Lake.

Blowing snow stymied earlier efforts to track the wolves but the weather cleared Monday evening.

Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Yuhas says the wolves matched the description of wolves seen where Candice Berner was killed. The spokeswoman says the wolves will undergo a variety of tests, including rabies. Genetic material taken from the wolves will be compared to samples from the dead woman.

Village residents discovered the body of the 32-year-old teacher surrounded by wolf tracks about a mile from the community on March 8.

An autopsy concluded an animal killed the woman and Alaska State Troopers say the animals involved likely were wolves.

Chignik Lake is an Alaska Peninsula community of 105 residents 474 miles southwest of Anchorage.

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sara.buffalo
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March 17, 2010
wolves that approach humans at all have learned an unnatural behavior that has been previously reinforced. Wolves that are fed by people, or are scavenging human garbage, or have some other experience that comprises their natural fear of humans will approach humans. there is something fishy going on here for sure. Dogs and wolf dogs attack people, wolves do not as a pretty steadfast rule. Unless they have Rabies. And this is a common area for Rabies, which eliminates natural fears. I am very suspicious that people knew what the wolves looked like and were able to say. I find it highly unlikely that they actually killed the same wolves that either killed or scavenged this poor lady.
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sara.buffalo
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March 17, 2010
mrniceguy - i am against the aerial killing of wolves but don't get your connection with the heritage of our dogs here. Dogs were fully domesticated by the time they arrived here from across the Berring Land Bridge. And our modern Alaskan Racing huskies are descended now from a wide variety of village huskies and modern breeds. They are not descended from Alaskan wolves. Believe me wolf traits have nothing to do with professional racing sled dogs. To understand where our dogs came from please read articles pertaining to such at sleddogcentral.com

Wolves who approach humans have a learned behavior that is responsable
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Conveyician
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March 16, 2010
All kidding aside, I think something fishy about that whole story. I hope they are not done investigating.
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Conveyician
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March 16, 2010
Let's just capture the wolves responsible - put them in a preserve, and feed them people like tala, mrniceguy, spaceman... This would help everyone out -
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mrniceguy
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March 16, 2010
The Alaska Fish and Game commission has apparently said it is okay to kill nearly all the wolves in parts of the state using aircraft. They have agreed to kill them next to federal lands as well. Makes you wonder if Alaska has sold out its ability to protect wildlife in favor of the hunters. Sad. I wonder how many tourists are going to boycott the state? Probably won't matter to those who want a wolf rug. Interesting that the wolf article ran at the same time as the dog sled race coverage...wonder what the heritage of those dogs came from.....

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polarmark
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March 16, 2010
gee tala... you could just about use the same argument to save the life of those who get convicted rape and murder children. they are sexual predators and they are just doing what their kind does. i think you should go and tell candice berner's parents how beautiful wolves are.
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Pearl=W
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March 16, 2010
tala - Go to adn.com [the Anch. paper] and read O'Malley's column on CB's blog. CB was not ignorant about the dangers and risks, and she had not behaved in a careless or unheeding manner in the past, in regards to those dnagers and risks.

I do agree about the wolves, generally. I love hearing them sing before going on a night's hunt, here at my place, and would miss them terribly were they silenced. But these particular wolves may now be an unacceptable threat to the villagers they might encounter.
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talacampbell
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March 16, 2010
Still I am bummed for the wolves, they are beautiful wild animals doing what they do. Honestly she wasn't running smart out there.

Wolves are getting a hard rap in Alaska now, one of the last places they can be found...
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Pearl=W
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March 16, 2010
I'm sure people living in the area are relieved, and will feel safer when all 4 of the pack that had been hanging close are distroyed. I know I would - predators that have experienced humans as food, especially those having difficulties acquiring their normal prey, can be quite a threat. I will be very interested to see what the result of the tests are, especially the rabies. Rabies is a frequent problem [endemic]in foxes in that area, I believe.

I am still *very* curious as to why her blog abruptly disappeared completely, after last winter's Christmas party, when she had kept it so faithfully before, and whether later entries might be recoverable. And I still wonder about the human tracks mentioned in conjunction with the track of where she was dragged from the road into the brush. Was that report just a "turn of the phrase", a poorly worded reference to her tracks on the road before she was pulled down? Or was there a set of human tracks, as well as [later] wolf tracks, with the drag marks?
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spaceman
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March 16, 2010
2 wolves kill a woman and are immediately hunted down and killed by the "Officials". 2 humans kill a woman, and are given a lawyer, media access to tell their side of the story, family members on TV saying what good boys they are, the race card, and if convicted by a jury of their peers...free room and board for life. Did I mention a book deal worth millions and don't forget movie rights. Man am I glad I'm not a wolf.
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crosswind
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March 16, 2010
SHOKD - Journalists apparently aren't paid by the word, "officials" is just a shorter way of saying "employees of the "Alaska Department of Fish and Game".

Points to ponder: 1 - Now we know why rural residents tell their children "stay close to the house". 2 - Now we also know why jogging and running are not popular pasttimes in rural Alaska. Running seems to excite predators, even in urban parks and trails. 3. Now we also know why rural people carry firearms when outside the town.
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crosswind
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March 16, 2010
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jonpauls1
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March 16, 2010
Reminds me a little of "Jaws".

It think the foxes blabbed.
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sloughrunner
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March 16, 2010
Knows what the look like by their tracks...I want to hunt with this fellow.....
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Shokd
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March 16, 2010
"Official" what?

Please, stop using this stupid word.
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