With spring in the north comes the renewed possibility of animal encounters. I've had more than a few sightings already up here; bears, wolves and foxes mainly.
I used to fear bears more than any other animal in the wilderness. These days it's the wolves that I'm worried about. I work in Northern Saskatchewan, where the first recorded fatality from a wolf attack on the continent occurred. The mine I worked at previous to this still employed a survivor of another wolf attack in 2005. The further we encroach into their territory, the more often the encounters seem to turn for the worse. I found this list of notable wolf attacks throughout history on wikipedia, and it's a pretty sobering compilation. A more detailed list of every known wolf attack ever can be found
here
Caen, France (1632-1633)[edit]
Between 1632 and 1633, a wolf killed over 30 people in the forest of Cinglais a few kilometers south of Caen in Lower Normandy. Survivors of its attacks nicknamed the animal "Therende", and described it as being the size of a mastiff, with a reddish pelt, pointed tail and heavily muscled hind quarters. In June 1633, the local count organized a large-scale hunt, conscripting 5,000-6,000 men for the job. After a pursuit lasting three days, the wolf was fatally shot with an arquebus.[44]
Gévaudan, France (1764-1767)[edit]
Engraving depicting the beast of Gévaudan (1764).
Between June 1764 to June 1767, in the Gévaudan region of France, wolves attacked at least 210 people, 110 of which died. Of the victims who died, 98 were partially eaten. The attacks spurred a large-scale hunt, during which a large portion of the local population was conscripted to join the army, several nobles and royal huntsmen in pursuit of the animals. Several wolves were killed, though the attacks only stopped after two wolves were shot in autumn 1765 and June 1767 respectively. Both animals were noted for their unusually large size and atypical coloring. The incident has been featured in numerous works of fiction, including the 2001 action film Brotherhood of the Wolf, which greatly embellished the story.[45]
Lombardy, Italy (1765)[edit]
On November 21, 1765, in the Lombard commune of Orio Litta, a female wolf bit sixteen people, a dog and a horse. Its final victim was a man who, despite receiving bites to the face and hands, managed to suffocate it to death with the help of his nephew. All the victims were immediately taken to a hospital in Lodi, where fourteen of them died. Before being buried, the wolf's carcass was dissected, and confirmed to have been rabid. As a result of this incident, all domestic animals that had been in contact with the wolf or had been left unsupervised during its rampage, were ordered to be destroyed. On December 24, another rabid wolf, probably infected by the previous animal, bit a number of people and dogs in Cassano d'Adda. On Christmas Eve, the wolf entered Rivolta d'Adda, attacking a sentry, who escaped unscathed. The wolf attacked three more people before being shot to death by soldiers. The next day, it was reported that many houses bore the tooth marks of the wolf on their doors.[18]
Gysinge, Sweden (1820-1821)[edit]
Between December 30, 1820 and March 27, 1821, near Gysinge in Uppland, near the border of Dalarna and Gästrikland in central Sweden, a wolf attacked 31 people, resulting in the deaths of 12 people. With the exception of one 19-year old woman, all victims of fatal attacks were children between the ages of three and a half, and 15; in addition, the 15 injured victims were mostly children, except for one 18-year old male. After the wolf was killed on March 27, 1821, it was discovered that the wolf was captured as a pup in 1817, and kept in captivity for several years before escaping.[46]
Saskatchewan, Canada (2005)[edit]
On November 8, 2005, 22 year old Kenton Joel Carnegie, a geological engineering student working in Points North Landing, Saskatchewan, had gone for a walk and didn't return to the geological surveyors' camp where he was working. His body was found partially consumed in an area known to be frequented by four wolves which regularly fed on human refuse. The pathologist who performed the autopsy, testified Carnegie had lost about 25% to 30% of his body mass in the attack, with the top midsection to the thigh having been partially consumed. Although originally the possibility that the culprit was a black bear was not ruled out, a coroners' jury concluded after a two year inquiry that the attackers had indeed been wolves.[47]
Chignik Lake, Alaska, USA (2010)[edit]
On March 10, 2010, 32 year old Candice Berner, a teacher and avid jogger living near Chignik Lake, 475 miles southwest of Anchorage, was discovered dead along a road by snowmobilers, who found wolf tracks in the adjacent snow. The Alaska State Medical Examiner ruled that her death was caused by "multiple injuries due to animal mauling." A series of necropsies performed on wolves culled in the surrounding area shortly after the attack ruled out rabies, sickness, or wolf-dog hybridisation as being causes of the attack. The case was notable as being the first fatal wolf attack in North America in which DNA evidence was gathered to confirm wolf involvement.[48]
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