Big news here. Wolves have slaughter game for years, last few years wolves have become very bold and have stalked humans at the boundaries of cities and have attacked dogs hiking with humans. Last summer two soldier's wives were stalked on Fort Rich and killed their dogs, I do believe one was on a leash.
Troopers: Autopsy shows village teacher likely killed by wolves
by Rebecca Palsha
Thursday, March 11, 2010
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A memorial service was held Thursday night for an itinerant teacher most likely killed by wolves.
An autopsy conducted Thursday shows that wolves likely killed 32-year-old Candice Berner in the southwest Alaska village of Chignik Lake, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
Village residents found Berner's body a short distance from town on Monday.
Multiple injuries due to animal mauling caused Berner's death, trooper Col. Audie Holloway said, referencing a report from the state medical examiner's office.
Information from state biologists and village residents, along with the autopsy results, point to wolves as the likely killer, according to a trooper press release.
"We're confident this is a wolf attack," Holloway said in an interview Thursday. "To be extremely precise, it's an animal attack of some sort. But we think that all probability and the preponderance of all the information we have is that it was wolves."
"The tracks alongside the drag marks, and the fact that the drag marks had blood in them probably means that she was alive as they were moving her," Holloway said.
Berner's father says she fought back against her attackers.
"It's hard, it's really hard. I feel horrible, you know, empty," Robert Berner said.
"They said Candice put up a good fight," he said, "and there must have been two, maybe three of them."
"Her left arm was torn mostly off and both her thighs were badly, badly damaged. But her face was untouched and her body was in decent form," he said.
Robert Berner says he was told Candice was most likely attacked from behind.
Troopers and the Department of Fish and Game are coordinating a response and expect to have teams in the village Friday.
"The helicopter and the pilot are going to fly some biologists around to try to either capture or exterminate the wolves that are in that particular area," Holloway said.
But unless the wolves have a disease or rabies, Robert Berner doesn't want the animals to die.
"I don't feel any need for vengeance at all. Candice was a risk-taker, she's fearless…because they hadn't had one other incident in the history of the place she probably felt reasonably safe out there on that trail," he said.
Troopers say a downswing in the caribou herd and the moose population have likely pushed the wolves to the edge.
"I would say any time anyone ventures out into the wilderness, or even at your front door -- because a lot of people live in the wilderness -- is to always be in a position to protect yourself," said wildlife trooper Col. Gary Folger. "Interactions with wildlife can occur at any moment."
Berner, originally from Pennsylvania, lived in Perryville and traveled from town to town as a special education teacher for the Lake and Peninsula School District. She started teaching in Bush Alaska in August.
Chignik Lake is a community of about 105 people on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula, about 475 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Contact Rebecca Palsha at [email protected]
Teacher likely killed by wolves, troopers say
CHIGNIK LAKE: Evidence points to attack by two or three animals, troopers say.
By JAMES HALPIN
[email protected]
Published: March 11th, 2010 10:52 PM
Last Modified: March 12th, 2010 07:28 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.
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."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 kill site 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 residents.
Troopers: Autopsy shows village teacher likely killed by wolves
by Rebecca Palsha
Thursday, March 11, 2010
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A memorial service was held Thursday night for an itinerant teacher most likely killed by wolves.
An autopsy conducted Thursday shows that wolves likely killed 32-year-old Candice Berner in the southwest Alaska village of Chignik Lake, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
Village residents found Berner's body a short distance from town on Monday.
Multiple injuries due to animal mauling caused Berner's death, trooper Col. Audie Holloway said, referencing a report from the state medical examiner's office.
Information from state biologists and village residents, along with the autopsy results, point to wolves as the likely killer, according to a trooper press release.
"We're confident this is a wolf attack," Holloway said in an interview Thursday. "To be extremely precise, it's an animal attack of some sort. But we think that all probability and the preponderance of all the information we have is that it was wolves."
"The tracks alongside the drag marks, and the fact that the drag marks had blood in them probably means that she was alive as they were moving her," Holloway said.
Berner's father says she fought back against her attackers.
"It's hard, it's really hard. I feel horrible, you know, empty," Robert Berner said.
"They said Candice put up a good fight," he said, "and there must have been two, maybe three of them."
"Her left arm was torn mostly off and both her thighs were badly, badly damaged. But her face was untouched and her body was in decent form," he said.
Robert Berner says he was told Candice was most likely attacked from behind.
Troopers and the Department of Fish and Game are coordinating a response and expect to have teams in the village Friday.
"The helicopter and the pilot are going to fly some biologists around to try to either capture or exterminate the wolves that are in that particular area," Holloway said.
But unless the wolves have a disease or rabies, Robert Berner doesn't want the animals to die.
"I don't feel any need for vengeance at all. Candice was a risk-taker, she's fearless…because they hadn't had one other incident in the history of the place she probably felt reasonably safe out there on that trail," he said.
Troopers say a downswing in the caribou herd and the moose population have likely pushed the wolves to the edge.
"I would say any time anyone ventures out into the wilderness, or even at your front door -- because a lot of people live in the wilderness -- is to always be in a position to protect yourself," said wildlife trooper Col. Gary Folger. "Interactions with wildlife can occur at any moment."
Berner, originally from Pennsylvania, lived in Perryville and traveled from town to town as a special education teacher for the Lake and Peninsula School District. She started teaching in Bush Alaska in August.
Chignik Lake is a community of about 105 people on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula, about 475 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Contact Rebecca Palsha at [email protected]
Teacher likely killed by wolves, troopers say
CHIGNIK LAKE: Evidence points to attack by two or three animals, troopers say.
By JAMES HALPIN
[email protected]
Published: March 11th, 2010 10:52 PM
Last Modified: March 12th, 2010 07:28 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.
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."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 kill site 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 residents.
