In March of 2010, just outside of Chignik Lake, Alaska, a 32 year old schoolteacher was killed by an unknown wild animal while jogging just a mile away from her own home. The consensus among state troopers, news articles, and local villagers was that there was a 99% chance that a wolf or wolves had been the culprits of this unforeseen attack. The schoolteacher, Candice Berner, had been dragged a small distance from where the attack occurred and paw prints, presumably wolf, had been found around her body. In addition, however, a few snowmobilers spotted human footprints in the vicinity where Berner had been attacked. Autopsy results concluded only that her body had been assaulted by animals, but could not determine whether this occurred prior to death or not.
Certainly there are factors that could give weight to the theory that the attack was indeed initiated by one or more wolves. There were paw prints found at the scene of the attack which appeared to be in the shape of wolf prints; witnesses stated that the only wild animal seen in the days prior to Berner’s death were wolves; and Berner had been running prior to her attack and wolves are known to have an instinctual nature to chase their prey.
While the facts listed above are truthful in nature, there are other factors not considered that might suggest that a wolf did not attack Berner. Historically wolves do not attack humans for the simple reason that humans are higher up on the food chain and tend to pose the larger threat to the wolf. There are arguments that wolves find the taste of human flesh less appealing because it is not part of their routine diet. When a wolf attacks animal prey, it cannot finish the entire carcass and tends to leave portions of the body to the wilderness. When the wolf does leave however, it is followed quickly by other carnivorous opportunists who quickly dive in to clean up what the wolf has left behind. Berner’s body showed animal assault wounds, but the coroner could not determine if animals were the cause of death.
Giving the state troopers and eye witnesses the benefit of the doubt, there are compelling factors as to why this could have been a wolf attack, however it is imperative to note that even if a wolf is the cause, the attack is absolutely and undeniably a rare occurrence in the United States.
To call a spade a spade, humans have imposed on nature’s habitat for years and prolonged exposure of wolves to humans over time has increased the likelihood of an incident. Berner could have been more of a target because she was small in stature. To the wolf, Berner would have appeared vulnerable and weak because of her size and because she was alone. As if that were not enough to entice the wolf, she would have appeared to be offering them a chance to chase their prey. Wolves experience a higher likelihood of failure in catching prey if they are larger, healthy, and standing their ground face to face. The wolf’s success rate in catching food is extremely low and increased hunger can lead to desperation and deviation from normal eating patterns. If any wolves involved were younger, less experienced, and unable to find plentiful, easy prey, Berner may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and unaware of her surroundings.
While there will likely never be any definitive proof to explain what really happened to Candice Berner that day, it is a safe bet that while humankind continues to tread with little or no care into the wilderness it will be met with animosity and defensiveness. The moral to this tale is to be cognizant and respectful of the beauty the wilderness holds and humans will find that cohabitation is possible.
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