Wolf attack yellow stone.

[bearpaw]

no surprise here...


Park officials looking into hiker's encounter with wolf

June 12, 2012 8:30 pm  •  By MARTIN KIDSTON mkidston@billingsgazette.com
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/park-officials-looking-into-hiker-s-encounter-with-wolf/article_d7792b2f-c56f-5ee9-a173-60955d360864.html?print=true&cid=print

CODY, Wyo. — A man hiking in Yellowstone National Park encountered a female wolf outside a den and sprayed the animal with pepper spray before fleeing the scene.

Yellowstone Park officials confirmed Tuesday that the man, whose name was not released, encountered a female wolf in the Hayden Valley.

While park officials continue to investigate the incident, a spokesman said Tuesday that the man was hiking when he came across the wolf outside a den.

“There was no wolf attack,” park spokesman Al Nash said. “However, a visitor apparently had some sort of encounter with a wolf. The wolf did not attack him. He was not injured by a wolf.”

The wolf allegedly gave a warning bark, which the man interpreted as a growl. He sprayed the wolf with pepper spray — a deterrent most often used in bear encounters. The hiker heard the wolf yipping as a result of the spray as he fled.

Park officials said the man jumped into the Yellowstone River, believing the wolf might pursue him. He apparently lost his backpack as he was washed downriver and was treated by park rangers for hypothermia.

“This gentleman encountered a wolf, just as many visitors encounter bears, elk or sheep,” said Nash. “I don’t know what his decision-making process was. He chose to get away from the animal. Why he chose to go into the Yellowstone River, I just don’t know.”

Yellowstone wolf biologist Doug Smith and Dave Hallac, who oversees Yellowstone’s natural and cultural resources, could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Wolves are commonly seen in the Hayden and Lamar valley areas of the park. Wildlife spotters often watch from surrounding vantage points as the animals cross the Hayden Valley’s sweeping meadows.

Versions of the latest story have already circulated on an unofficial Facebook page dedicated to Yellowstone National Park. But park officials said the investigating continues and details at this point are few.

“We have human-animal encounters all the time in the park,” said park spokesman Dan Hottle. “We have some kind of encounter on a daily basis, and we have to rely on the signage and information we put out on wildlife safety. The other 50 percent has to come from the park visitor.”

Park officials said trails are often posted as being closed in areas of known wolf dens or high bear activity. It’s unknown if the man was on a trail posted as closed, or if he was on a trail at all.

“We remind people to maintain the minimum distances to wildlife, which is 25 yards from most big animals, and 100 yards from bears and wolves,” Nash said. “The smart thing to do, if you feel an animal is responding to your presence, is to increase the distance to that animal.”

[seth30]

Wow pepper spray, I would be carrying bear mace 

[Killmore]

So It's the guys fault, what is this country coming to....

[TheHunt]

A friend of mine was just hired at YNP as a Ranger.  I will ask him when I get a chance.  He also lives in West Yellowstone so I have a place to stay if I get drawn for a hunt there.

[MichaelJ]

YNP officials are going to be in a LOT of trouble when somebody else gets attacked by wolves for downplaying this incident so much...   

[bearpaw]

YNP officials are going to be in a LOT of trouble when somebody else gets attacked by wolves for downplaying this incident so much...   

You are exactly right, that's what happened with grizzly bear attacks, they downplayed them until it started happening repeatedly.

[Special T]

It would be much better to get this guys story out NOW than to let them spin it the way they want... If we let them control the info release it will say exactly what thye want.

[TheHunt]

You wonder if he got a pay check to keep quiet.

[bearpaw]

You wonder if he got a pay check to keep quiet.

That guy is one of the biggest wolf promoters in YNP, that's why he played it down.

[sebek556]

  wow, this makes me sick. surprised they didn't blame him jumping in the river on the movie the grey.

[Special T]

Kinda Ironic the movie and the real thing huh? 

[pianoman9701]

I wonder which side of the wolf issue he's on now?

[Machias]

Remember the  botanist that was mauled and killed by the sedated grizzly bear a year or two ago.  The US Fish and Wildlife came out and basically said you can't protect the stupid people, the whole area was sign posted.  They really made this guy look like a Darwin Award competitor.  Only after the family demanded an investigation was it found the whole smear campaign was a lie.  They had taken the signs down.  They guy wandered into a wounded and sedated grizzly who had been left right next to the fricken trail with no warning signs.  So don't put it past them to blame the guy so the wolf will not look bad.  On a different note remember the kayaker who saved the women who fled into the river to avoid the grizzly attack last year, footage of that "attack" showed is was a small brown colored black bear trying to make it's way down to the river to cool off. The women and the kayaker were never in any danger.

[bearpaw]

I wonder which side of the wolf issue he's on now?

I meant that it's the guy manipulating the report that is the wolf promoter, I have no idea who the guy was that got nearly attacked. Sorry about the confusion.

[humanure]

I wonder which side of the wolf issue he's on now?

I meant that it's the guy manipulating the report that is the wolf promoter, I have no idea who the guy was that got nearly attacked. Sorry about the confusion.

You know, past story manipulations aside, I don't think it's far from the mind to believe that he may have just pepper sprayed the wolf and ran like the dickins into a river without looking back. Not everyone has nerves of steel to back away slowly and keep an eye on the predator until your out of the area. I would think most tourists just run along into YNP without proper knowledge or training with the wildlife to know what to do. In any case, if he indeed pepper sprayed the wolf, the wolf is not a bear who will ignore it to give chase, I think the wolf would definately be deterred.