Wobbly_Alaska Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 and they say we don't need predator control.... by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, March 11, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An autopsy conducted Thursday shows that it's likely wolves caused the death of an itinerant teacher in the southwest Alaska village of Chignik Lake, according to the Alaska State Troopers. Villager residents found the body of Candice Berner, 32, 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. A state biologist was in Chignik Lake Thursday to hold a meeting with residents to discuss how to handle the threat from wolves. Troopers and the Department of Fish and Game are coordinating a response and expect to have teams in the village Friday. 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. This is a developing story. Return to KTUU.com as more details become available. Contact Channel 2 News at [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Wow that is sad! Prayers go out to her family. I was just hunting those buggers last weekend, still can't figure out why you guys in the states cannot hunt them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly_Alaska Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Wow that is sad! Prayers go out to her family. I was just hunting those buggers last weekend, still can't figure out why you guys in the states cannot hunt them. because someone some where glorified them into pretty, intelligent, magnificent, spiritual beasts... my wifes boys... ages 12 and 18... the oldest lives in Idaho with his dad... step mom is an ANTI... his teacher was an anti... and this grown boy will cry and get violently angry at the mention of killing a wolf... while his younger brother... who spends lots of time with me reviles, at his brothers, and step moms disgust at his exploits and powers as a mighty hunter... can't wait to shoot his first wolf... I deal with state and Federal Biologist on a regular basis... the feds are bunny hugging, flu flu fluffers that wont allow state game to be managed on federal land... the state bios.... will try to leave only on breeding pair if they can... and prefer to make sure that pair is made up of gay male wolves.... we recently got rid of the wolf BUFFER zone around the 6.5 million acer Denali National park... wolf comes on state land... it is fair game.. the western Peninsula this happened is largely federal lands with a sharp increase in wolf populations, and a crashed caribou herd... the State Bio's are trying to fix it... but the federal bunny breeding program is in the way... in short we have a bunch of over educated idiots trying to save our wild life in the last frontier with little understanding of real life... heck just me Priscilla Presley last week too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 because someone some where glorified them into pretty, intelligent, magnificent, spiritual beasts... I think they look most "pretty" with a bullet hole through them. I remember reading about a girl who was walking on a beach a few years ago and out of nowhere, a wolf came trotting along and attacked her. She thought it was a dog at first but when she realized what it was, it was too late. I hate that people don't think wolves will attack humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiepredator Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Wow, that is really too bad. Prayers for the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Archer 01 Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Prayers sent for the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly_Alaska Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 here is an update ...... Weather stalls plan to kill wolves blamed for teacher's death Jackie Bartz reports on wolf control effort in Chignik Lake 0:37Fish and Game biologist Lem Butler explains plans to kill wolfpack 0:41 Also on KTUU.COM Troopers: Autopsy shows village teacher likely killed by wolves New to Alaska, village teacher touched many lives Rumors abound that wolves killed village teacher by Jackie Bartz Friday, March 12, 2010 CHIGNIK LAKE -- Plans to kill a wolf pack blamed for a teacher's death in this southwest Alaska village were put on hold Friday due to poor weather. Village residents discovered the body of Candice Berner, 32, surrounded by wolf tracks a short distance from town on Monday. With the results of an autopsy conducted Thursday, and reports from biologists and villagers, the Alaska State Troopers confirmed that an animal attack killed Berner. The most likely culprits, trooper Col. Audie Holloway said Thursday, are area wolves. Troopers and Department of Fish and Game staff headed to the village Thursday to coordinate a response. "Once we get a good weather break, we'll go out in an airplane and try to evaluate the number of wolves in the area we associate with the pack," Fish and Game biologist Lem Butler said. "We believe it's four wolves currently, but we'll be able to verify that better with an aerial perspective." Though they had hoped to use at least one plane and a helicopter to track the wolves from the air and shoot them, it was a waiting game Friday with the team grounded because of expected strong winds and heavy snow. Snow and wind would obscure tracks and prevent safe flying, Butler said. One state plane was able to make it to Chignik Lake, but a helicopter on its way there from King Salmon was diverted back. "Once we've located the wolves, we'll remove them lethally, so we can collect biological samples, and, of course, we also view this as a public safety concern, so we don't have future problems with this particular pack, since they've felt comfortable enough to try it once, we want to remove them from the area," Butler said. Meanwhile, Chignik Lake residents and parents are on high alert. Kids are not walking to school by themselves, and some village residents have been on patrol with rifles and handguns. Berner, originally from Pennsylvania, started as a special education teacher for the Lake and Peninsula School District in August and was living in Perryville. This is a developing story. Return to KTUU.com as more information becomes available, and watch the Channel 2 News TV broadcasts for a full report. Contact Jackie Bartz at [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly_Alaska Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 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. ............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 They want to reintroduce them here in Maine. That would be a huge mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m gardner Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 When our society was mostly rural the wolves were eliminated from the lower 48 because they were a problem. They were hunted and trapped and had a bounty on them in Alaska until the late 1950's because they were a problem for families that lived a subsisitance lifestyle. This incident shoots down one of the big pro wolf arguments. They claimed that there were no documented cases of wolves hunting and killing people. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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