Wolves may have killed village teacher

[denali]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/03/09/1102882/wolf-blamed-in-death-of-villager.html

 the end of the article is interesting, more wolf human interactions then puppy pimps would lead one to believe.

regardless how She died, feel terrible for her family.   

[JackOfAllTrades]

Unlimited wolf trapping is permitted in the area from Oct. 1 to April 30. Hunting regulations allow 10 wolves per person per day from Aug. 10 to May 25, said Fish and Game spokeswoman

Wow! Do the Fed's know this?

-S

[jackelope]

Unlimited wolf trapping is permitted in the area from Oct. 1 to April 30. Hunting regulations allow 10 wolves per person per day from Aug. 10 to May 25, said Fish and Game spokeswoman

Wow! Do the Fed's know this?

-S

Alaska is in charge of their wolf population management...not managed by the feds. Not ESA listed in AK.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Sarcasm.... 

[Kain]

Very sad.  Were wolves allowed to be hunted on the game reserve she was in or just in the unit she was in?  They listed quite a few attacks and one death.  I will have to remember that when I hear that wolves have never killed anyone in North America.

[bearpaw]

Those are the news previews for WA....

[mulehunter]

I knew its going happen,  Three times we treed a Cougars on Matt's permittee 2 years ago and Wolves Pack were NOT afraid of US! 100 yards from Wolves pack to Our Treed. Not funny. 

I knew it will HAPPEN that someone will get killed somehow.  NOT MY PROBLEM!

Mulehunter 

[wolfbait]

Update---------Sounds like the Methow Valley wolves

Residents unnerved by pack of wolves
BOLD: Pack thought to have killed teacher in Chignik Lake seen close to village again.
BY JAMES HALPIN
JHALPIN@ADN.COM
Published: 03/10/1011:23 pm | Updated: 03/11/1012:09 am
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Villagers in Chignik Lake were on patrol Wednesday, hunting for wolves they blame in the death of a 32-year-old school teacher who was found dead after she went running on an isolated road this week.

Candice Berner was found Monday evening along a road leading out of town just a short time after leaving work. State officials haven't yet determined her cause of death, but those who live in the village feel they know.

Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning, villagers said, an armed group of men was out roaming on snowmachines in search of tracks left by wolves, which people say have been coming too close to town lately.

"We approached them last night, but we ended up losing them," said Fred Shangin, 32, who is among the hunters. "They were right by the village again. They started running, we started chasing them but they came up to a creek we couldn't get across."

Villagers say people are on edge, concerned with the boldness of wolves in the wake of Berner's death.

Berner, who came to Alaska from Slippery Rock, Pa., was a special education teacher for the Lake and Peninsula School District. She was based in Perryville but traveled to different towns teaching. She arrived in Alaska in August, said her father, Bob Berner.

"She's a person of adventure. She likes travel," Berner said. "She wanted to see Alaska, and she thought this would be a good way to do that."

Berner, who stood about 4 feet, 11 inches tall, liked to box, lift weights and run; she was training for a marathon when she was killed.

School district officials say she left work at the end of the day Monday to go for a run on the road out of town.

Four people riding snowmachines along the road came across her body about 6:30 p.m. Monday. Gregory Kalmakoff, 23, said by phone Wednesday he and the others had been out riding at Portage Bay and were on their way back.

"There was a blood spot on the road," he said. "I turned around, looked and there was drag marks going down a little hill."

There were wolf tracks in the new snow and footprints left by a person, he said. It appeared something had been dragged off the road, said Kalmakoff's cousin, 24-year-old Jacob Kalmakoff, who troopers say was among those who discovered the body.

"We seen her gloves on the road where she was running," Kalmakoff said. "She didn't get away too far from them; they took her down pretty fast. You could see a blood trail of her body getting drug down the hill."

They went down the hill to investigate and found Berger's remains not too far down. Berner's arms and head had been mangled, Jacob Kalmakoff said.

The group alerted others in town. Later Monday night, with several people at the scene, wolves were spotted in the area, Jacob Kalmakoff said.

"After the wolves came back, they took her up to the village," he said. "The wolves weren't scared of nothing. They were just circling them down there, trying to look for an opportunity to get back in there."

Alaska State Troopers say there was predation on the body but they haven't concluded whether it was before or after death. Investigators told Berner's family in Pennsylvania that she had been killed in an animal attack, possibly by wolves.

Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said Wednesday the investigation was continuing and authorities were awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Dr. Katherine Raven, the state medical examiner, said the autopsy was scheduled for this morning and the results -- most likely not including what kind of animal might be involved -- will be forwarded to troopers, who will determine what happened.

"You can certainly tell by certain injuries that it's a big animal, small animal," Raven said. "But truly our expertise isn't what kind of animal it is. Our expertise is if it's animal versus something else."

There are plenty of bears on the Alaska Peninsula, but it would be very uncommon for them to be up and moving at this time of year, said Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Yuhas. There have been no recent reports of bears in the area, she said.

Fish and Game has, however, gotten recent reports of wolves, which are common on the Alaska Peninsula, Yuhas said.

"Residents have not expressed concerns about human safety," Yuhas said in an e-mail. "They frequently express concern about the effects of wolf predation on moose and caribou populations. We have also received reports that a few dogs are killed each winter by wolves, but none of the reports came from Chignik."

Fish and Game estimated in 2008 that there were between 200 and 300 wolves in 30 to 50 packs in the Northern Alaska Peninsula Wolf Management Area, with a wolf density estimated at seven animals per 1,000 square kilometers.

Because of the high density and the impact they have had on local caribou, the Board of Game recently took up a proposal that could allow aerial wolf hunting if caribou numbers dwindle. The proposal passed but does not take effect until July 1, Yuhas said.

Johnny Lind, a resident of Chignik Lake and member of the Chignik Advisory Committee to the Board of Game, said there is no doubt wolves are getting bold in the area. There are no caribou and moose numbers are down because of sickness and predators, he said.

"They're just hungry," Lind said. "There's a lot of snow at this time of year and it's hard to find food for them.

"They've been having sightings nearby last year, but not this close though. They're right in town, looking for food."

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/03/10/1104804/residents-unnerved-by-pack-of.html?story_link=email_msg

[boneaddict]

They are just hungry..........

Remember that when your daughter or granddaughter is snatched when they step off the schoolbus.  LOL

Sorry, you overzealous outdoorsman, don't you know that wolves, cats and bears only eat grass and berries.  I guess there have been reports of them eating fish.   

We feed the elk when winter is tough, how come we don't have wolf feeding stations.  Maybe we should build some game fences too.

[WonkyWapiti]

The news is reporting a wolf that has killed a school teacher in Alaska.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpps/news/dpgonc-teacher-mauled-to-death-by-wolf-while-jogging-in-alaska-fc-20100311_6506578

[carpsniperg2]

very sad, 2 bad she did not have a 38 or 357 on her hip.

[MikeWalking]

Sad. Saw this here a couple days ago...

[sisu]

Wait one minute! Why is this not in the news? Any time some thing out of the ordinary happens to a wolf    there is media hype. Where is the news when a human is killed by a wolf?

[dawhunt]

Only good wolf is a dead wolf !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bob

[h2ofowlr]

If she's is as liberal as some of the teachers on the west side, I am sure she was unarmed.  It's to bad, but this is probably just the begining of these type of reports.

[saylean]

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/87466267.html

What a crappy way to go.

[Crunchy]

You aint kidding!

[sisu]

If she's is as liberal as some of the teachers on the west side, I am sure she was unarmed.  It's to bad, but this is probably just the begining of these type of reports.

Bush Teachers tend to run either like us on this site or full blown Socialist. I've never seen an in between. This last election opened my eyes a whole lot to the people I worked with. Everyone that voted for Obama quit writing to me because I'm now considered a racist because I voice my opinion.

TS is my reply to them. All the teachers that are conservatives still write and call.

[saylean]

oops..sorry for the duplicate!

[Shootmoore]

Watching the news this morning it has been confirmed by the Alaska State Police that it was a wolf kill.  Although the spokeswoman said it was the first one they know about.  Probably just a lack of knowledge of the death in Canada.

Going to email the news piece to our state wildlife commission.

Shootmoore

[huntlakewood]

Only good wolf is a dead wolf !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bob

[buckhorn2]

Wolves only kill the weak and sick. *censored*.

[Happy Gilmore]

Well, It is big news however, notice that at the end of the article it does say, "it would be a first in Alaska if confirmed a wolf kill." That is not an article we would want in the news because its' saying Alaska has a HUGE wolf population and they've basically never had a wolf kill a person.......I think we'd prefer the opposite. We'd want everyone to thing the wolf is out to kill every single school kid walking to the bus...

If confirmed a wolf it would be a FIRST in Alaska. Not the publicity we want on the street. Keep it quiet. SSS

[Axle]

Wolves only kill the weak and sick. *censored*.

Well, hold on here a bit......maybe she was not mentally strong enough to pack a gun. Maybe she was sick enough to vote the wrong way. The socialist liberals will have you believe we are equal (or less than equal) to the animals. Even modern psychology books call humans 'animals' and I find this discusting!

This could be no different than the wolf killing a deer as far as the liberals are concerned. Since wolves kill deer on a daily basis, this isn't news to them at all.

It is sad to somebody who values humans though.

[sisu]

This news article is a bit more graphic
Teacher likely killed by wolves, troopers say Authorities seek to capture or kill animals
 
By JAMES HALPIN | jhalpin@adn.com
 
Published: March 11th, 2010 04:51 PM
Last Modified: March 11th, 2010 04:52 PM
 
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/11/v-gallery/1179368/teacher-likely-killed-by-wolves.html
 
Alaska State Troopers today said a woman found dead in Chignik Lake early this week was most likely killed in a wolf attack, and state authorities are on their way 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 community on the Alaska Peninsula, according to troopers. An autopsy this morning determined the cause of death was "multiple injuries due to animal mauling," troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said in a statement.
 
Based on interviews with biologists and villagers in Chignik Lake, troopers concluded wolves were the animals most likely responsible, she said.
 
The state Department of Fish and Game wanted 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 tracks around the body and bloody drag marks in the snow, he said. Berner's body had been partially predated and had teeth marks on the throat, which was severely damaged and likely was the injury that caused her death, Holloway 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 windpipe area and try to control the victim that way."
 
It appeared the attack was predatory, motivated by wolves wanting something to eat, he said.
 
Holloway said troopers and Fish and Game biologists were on their way to Chignik Lake today, planning to capture or kill the responsible wolves. They believe at least two or three were involved, he said.
 
"We'll stay as long as we can to make sure the public feels as safe as we can make them feel living in Alaska," he said.
 
Berner, a 32-year-old special education teacher based in Perryville, was found dead Monday evening by a group on snowmachines traveling along a road outside Chignik Lake.
 
Berner, originally from Slippery Rock, Pa., stood about 4 feet, 11 inches tall and was an athletic person, an avid runner, according to her family. Officials from the Lake and Peninsula School District said Berner, who arrived in Chignik Lake on Monday -- though she had been there before -- left work at the end of the day Monday to go for a run.
 
The snowmachiners came across the scene of her death a short time later. They reported seeing gloves in the road, blood and Berner's body having been dragged off the road down a hill. Parts of her body had been mangled, they said.
 
In the wake of the death, villagers began hunting for wolves in the area, which they say have been coming increasingly closer to town in search of food.
 
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

Here is a bit more from another Alaskan source
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"There were wolf tracks all around the body, and drag marks associated with those wolf tracks," Holloway said.
 
Villagers in the community of 105 residents already were on alert because of wolves running boldly near the community, said Johnny Lind, president of the village council.
 
Choosing his words carefully Thursday before the autopsy results were announced, Lind said wolf involvement was apparent.
 
"It's obvious. Goodness. It's obvious," he said, adding that he did not want to elaborate.
 
Since Tuesday, people were not traveling alone, school children were accompanied to school and armed patrols on snowmobiles were looking for wolves, he said.
 
"Everybody's kind of staying close to the village," he said.

[mulehunter]

I wonder what would SARAH P have to say  I am hoping she would ask to OPEN FULLY WOLF HUNT ALL YEAR AROUND!!    

Mulehunter 

[rasbo]

I wonder what would SARAH P have to say  I am hoping she would ask to OPEN FULLY WOLF HUNT ALL YEAR AROUND!!    

Mulehunter 

Ill bet if she was close her boots just might hit the ground looking with the others

[wolfbait]

Teacher likely killed by wolves, troopers say
CHIGNIK LAKE: Evidence points to attack by two or three animals, troopers say.
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com
Published: March 12th, 2010 08:48 AM
Last Modified: March 12th, 2010 09:09 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.
Story tools
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.
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"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.
Berner, a special education teacher based in Perryville, was originally from Slippery Rock, Pa., and arrived in Alaska last August. She stood about 4 feet 11 inches tall and was an athletic person, an avid runner, according to her family. Officials from the Lake and Peninsula School District said Berner, who rotated among five villages and arrived in Chignik Lake on Monday, left work at the end of the day to go for a run.
A group of snowmachiners found her a short time later. Her gloves were in the road and Berner's body had been dragged off the road down a hill.
Bob Berner said troopers told him his daughter had an iPod with her and was running toward town when the wolves attacked her about a mile and a half out. There appeared to have been a chase and struggle that lasted about 150 feet before she went down, he said Thursday by phone from Pennsylvania.
"She was probably not aware of them until they actually lunged at her or attacked her," Berner said. "She did the best she could, but they figured there were two of them for sure, maybe three ... She put up a struggle. It was not an immediate thing."
Retired Fish and Game biologist Mark McNay, who has studied wolf attacks in North America, said that the attack was highly unusual and appeared to be the first documented case of a fatal wolf attack by healthy, wild wolves in Alaska. The only other such case in North America took place in northern Saskatchewan in 2005, he said.
That Berner was running at the time might have contributed to the attack, he said.
"The whole running thing is something that can elicit a predatory attack," McNay said. "It suggests vulnerability."
Holloway said troopers and Fish and Game biologists were on their way to Chignik Lake Thursday planning to capture or kill the responsible wolves. They believe at least two or three were involved, he said.
"We'll stay as long as we can to make sure the public feels as safe as we can make them feel living in Alaska," he said.
A Fish and Game representative arrived in Chignik Lake late Thursday to inspect the site where Berner was killed and to find out about recent wolf behavior in the area, including how many there are, spokeswoman Jennifer Yuhas said in an e-mail.
"Local residents report nightly sightings of wolves in the area," Yuhas said. "It was determined that any wolves at or near the fatality site are to be considered an immediate threat to human safety. We are attempting to obtain biological samples of wolves in the area and to identify the offenders."
Local hunters began tracking the wolves earlier in the week and have had several sightings, but as of Thursday afternoon hadn't made any kills, said 24-year-old Jacob Kalmakoff, who was among those who found Berner's body. Hunters were planning to try baiting them with meat to get a good shot, he said.
"Right behind my house is where I'm going to put some," Kalmakoff said. "I can look behind my house and see up on top of the hill where they're been climbing up the hill and looking down at the village."
In the wake of the attack, local residents reported they were not traveling alone and children were being accompanied to school.
"I think folks are now processing what we all need to do as residents of this area where there are a lot of wolves to be sure that everybody is safe," said Rick Luthi, the chief operating officer for the school district who is in King Salmon. "Our children have a great deal of freedom, and this is going to cause folks to be sure that children are safe."
Friends were holding a memorial service for Berner Thursday evening in Perryville, where she was based, he said.
Bob Berner said is daughter was enjoying Alaska, doing what she wanted to do, and that he's had many years of great memories with her. The attack didn't change his perception of wolves, he said.
"They're just doing what wolves do," Berner said. "Their nature happened to kill my daughter, but I don't have any anger towards wolves."
________________________________________
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.
Troopers statement
Here's the text of the statement issued Thursday by the Alaska State Troopers regarding the cause of death of a teacher in Chignik Lake.
(CHIGNIK LAKE, Alaska) -- Investigation has determined that Candice Berner's death was non-criminal in nature. An autopsy conducted today confirmed Ms. Berner died from injuries sustained in an animal attack. According to the State Medical Examiner, the manner of death is "accidental" and the cause of death is "multiple injuries due to animal mauling". After conferring with state biologists and the community of Chignik Lake, it has been concluded that the animals most likely responsible for the attack are wolves. The Alaska State Troopers' (AST) death investigation regarding this incident is closed.
AST is providing assistance to the Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) as it addresses public safety concerns regarding wolf activity close to the community of Chignik Lake under the ADF&G Commissioner's statutory authority. A trooper pilot and an R-44 helicopter are en route to Chignik Lake to assist Fish and Game efforts. Barring any weather or logistical issues, a trooper, as well as a representative from ADF&G, will attend a public meeting in Chignik Lake tonight to address ongoing response efforts and concerns of local resid
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/11/1179368/teacher-likely-killed-by-wolves.html?story_link=email_msg

[mulehunter]

I wonder what would SARAH P have to say  I am hoping she would ask to OPEN FULLY WOLF HUNT ALL YEAR AROUND!!    

Mulehunter 

Ill bet if she was close her boots just might hit the ground looking with the others

  I hope it wasnt her! Hope it were Enviromenetlist group's Kids being next!!

Mulehunter 

[mulehunter]

I wonder if Scott fitkin's wife got killed by Lookout Pack! Would thing be  SOOO DIFFERENT!

Mulehunter  

[wolfbait]

The very same thing will start happening here in Washington, there are too many people who don't know enough or will not believe what these wolves are capable of. What then will WDFW have to say about their wolves? We know that defenders of pelosi will not care as they are making the big $$$$ off of their lawsuits and all the people that they swindle money from for the poor little wolves.

[MikeWalking]

Well, It is big news however, notice that at the end of the article it does say, "it would be a first in Alaska if confirmed a wolf kill." That is not an article we would want in the news because its' saying Alaska has a HUGE wolf population and they've basically never had a wolf kill a person.......I think we'd prefer the opposite. We'd want everyone to think the wolf is out to kill every single school kid walking to the bus...

If confirmed a wolf it would be a FIRST in Alaska. Not the publicity we want on the street. Keep it quiet. SSS

Hold on here folks. This kind of discussion I have had before. A Coworker once tried to tell me that there were only 3 recorded cases of Polar Bears killing people, so they weren't much of a danger.  I countered that what that meant was that only 3 attacks were witnessed. I pointed out what my Alaskan born and raised Bush Pilot told me; "The Griz don't want anything to do with you but the Polar Bear? If he sees you he will come eat you, You don't mess around Mike, drop the spray and shoot"

FIRST Wolf kill in Alaska? Or the First one anyone knows about?  There's been a whole lotta trappers-hunters-miners going solo through the Bush over the Centuries, who knows how many ended up in Wolf scat? For a long time I have been reading that "no healthy wolf" has ever attacked humans. Maybe we need to point out the falseness in that?

[villageidiot]

Mikwaker is right.  I talked to a principal that worked last winter in Galena Alaska.  He flies out every two weeks to the indian villages schools and keeps them on track  One of the villages had a trapper that came up missing last winter but is gone sometimes all day  When he didn't come back they got together and followed his tracks in the snow.  They found his carcass being eaten by wolves.  They looked it over and there were only wolf tracks.  They formed a possee and tracked down the whole pack of 17 wolves and killed the whole bunch.  This is a very remote village in alaska made up by only natives and they don't have a newspaper or any way to inform the public so just take care of problems theirselves.  This principal I talked to said this sort of thing happens all the time in those villages and they could care less if anybody knows because it doesn't matter either way so they deal with the problem theirselves.  They have no law enforcement or game dept. , just theirselves to support.  We never hear about all the casualties unless they are confirmed by govt. hired folks that never get out of the office unless it's to go catch someone doing something they can get  a star in their crown for catching.