"first you say it, then you do it".....Bill Cosby

Before I even clicked on the comments, all I could think of was "Yikes" also.

Umm, crapping one's pants does not occur on the inside :)

Yikes is right though. Glad she's okay.

Only a Canadian would get attacked by a wolf trying to help another motorist, and then apologize to that other motorist - that didn't help her while she was being attacked.

Probably still safer getting attacked by a wolf in Canada than walking downtown in Chicago or Detroit.

attack by a timber wolf

Brave girl.

But I didn't know The Minnesota Timberwolves were playing against Toronto Raptors in Canada.

crapping one's pants does not occur on the inside

Yes it does - unless you're wearing them inside out :-)

John,

I live in Chicago and work downtown, I havent been shot. You are refering to the south and west sides of the city. Being a white boy I would give myself about a 1 minute window of survival. Point being is that the media makes it seem like gangs are all over downtown shooting people, its not the case.

As far as this story......WOW! What dick the other motorist is though for not helping out.

Irish 21

I know it isn't all bad. It was somewhat of a joke. My family stems from Wheaton, Carol Stream area. But much of it has degraded since my immediate family moved. I think a lot of it has to do with value. More police presence in low crime areas to make sure it stays that way, and less in places that the cops would have targets on their backs.

Magnificent Mile is fun.

Irish 21

being from Chicago just what would you have done??

wow , i can`t say no more

That's Canada - even the wolves are polite.

This atypical behavior by the animal means taking the rabies shots is absolutely vital.

The good news: (1)Taking the series of shots (upper arm only) is 100% effective and (2) even a needle-phobic coward like me thought they were no big deal.

They'd also attack if they felt threatened or startled. She probably got too close to him and sadly didn't notice him until it was too late. Odds are this was in a very remote, woody area (they're super hard to spot there) since she didn't see him and had to drive so long for help. Hope she makes a quick recovery.

The article says, "Hepp walked to her car, wolf in tow...". What happened to the wolf. Doesn't say.

It probably had rabies.

Rabies is very rare that far north and especially at this time of year.

Yes - I'm asking a few questions too - like the "estimated weight" of the animal being placed at 200 pounds! The typical male wolf in North America weighs in at around 100 pounds. So this woman approached a vehicle and didn't notice a wolf that was twice the size of a typical wolf hanging around....exaggerate much? I'm not saying she wasn't bitten - but I am wondering if this version of the events has been talked up a bit.

This article is a little more than sketchy.

Darren Dickerson

It probably had rabies.

I doubt that. Wolves who have rabies attack savagely, and it seems it was not the case. I vote for "startled".

I'd guess the wolf was just having a bad day... decided to take it out on someone. It's pretty hard to startle a wolf - they don't usually fall asleep in the road... Probably not rabies either; as pointed out, it's the wrong time of year and rabid animals are really scary/vicious. Kudos to the lady.

Real story here:

Apparently the woman got out of her car and was trying to feed the wolf, who was far from a 200 pound behemoth- in fact the other witness stated it was rather sickly/scrawny. So, in other words, this woman is a bit of an idiot.

Real story here:

http: / / ca.news.yahoo.com/womans-wolf-attack-story-disputed-witness-172513745.html

Apparently the woman got out of her car and was trying to feed the wolf, who was far from a 200 pound behemoth- in fact the other witness stated it was rather sickly/scrawny. So, in other words, this woman is a bit of a fool.

Re: "Wolves who have rabies attack savagely...."

Probably not. A "savage" attack would be relatively rare. Once rabies has taken over the brain, the host animal becomes a virus-delivery system and the aim is not to kill the intended next host but to infect it with the virus. Killing would be counter-productive. Think of rabies as the Borg. The collective has to survive.

If you don't think a virus can change deliberate behavior, reading "Parasite Rex" by Carl Zimmer would be a good place to start.

On the other hand, if the woman approached a "sickly/scrawny" animal as Alex suggested, it might feel afraid so that the quick bite and release was just a way to get the hell away from the weird person who scared it.

And a 200 pound wold would be the work of a mad scientist (unlikely). They just don't come that big.

It's not like "um, you've got some mustard on your chin".

Seriously! This article lacks some serious details. She walks back to her car "wolf in tow". WTH? I can't imagine someone talking to me and walking away to drive to a hospital while having a wolf tugging away at their jugular artery.

The same thing hit me, too. What did the other motorist do, say, "You, OK, Lady?" and leave it at that? And what do they mean by "Wolf in tow?" Glad she's OK.

Leave it to NBC News to leave out a lot of details...I just did a search for this incident and read a more indepth Canadian story. Once he/she let go of her neck, she started walking back to her truck. The wolf followed her, just like a dog. She got to the truck, opened the door and said to the wolf, "Do you want to come with me?" The wolf looked at her and turned around and ran away.

Sounds like that Canadian wolf was drinking some Canadian Beer to me.

This story has already been discredited in the Canadian press as pure fiction. Perhaps NBC might be a little bit more skeptical when accepting content.

Suze the Muze

And what do they mean by "Wolf in tow?"

They mean the wolf was following her, and it is what wolves do before attacking a prey, they can follow for a long time. The surprising part is that it jumped on her to start with, but she probably got too close and he was startled.

Maybe April Fool? "Gotcha", story?

Especially because there has never been, to date, a 200 pound wolf. The LARGEST specimens you'll find alive today barely make it over 170- most male wild wolves in that region are a good 50 pounds lighter. This DOES make a difference!

I bet if you asked her today... if she is Canadian She would not want it killed

No self-respecting Canadian would reduce him/herself to the American mentality of high-capacity magazine guns. In my experience, Canadians have more respect for animals and people than the average American.

Damn straight.

I wonder if she feels that a gun with a high-capacity magazine might have been of some use......?

Um, I seriously doubt it, unless she was carrying it to the other car. This was a surprise attack. And, why a high capacity magazine? It was a wolf, not a pack of wolves. Maybe if she has a thermonuclear device, she could have taken out all the wolves in Manitoba.

Solitaire: Jesus, can't you guys comment on a thread without gun, gun, gun, gun ... She was helping a motorist.

HairMetalRocker

No self-respecting Canadian would reduce him/herself to the American mentality of high-capacity magazine guns. In my experience, Canadians have more respect for animals and people than the average American.

Yes, instead of shooting people, you eat them.

Get over yourselves, will you? People tend to find mirror images of themselves all over the world.

I wonder if she feels that a gun with a high-capacity magazine might have been of some use......?

The USA gun obsessed answer to all questions.

arnold-1634182

I wonder if she feels that a gun with a high-capacity magazine might have been of some use......?

The USA gun obsessed answer to all questions.

Many Canadians do have guns, and hunt. I am guessing she was not a hunter tho. But either way when you are in a location where there is wolves and bears it is always a good idea to bring a gun just in case.

Anna--yep, it would have been a good idea to bring a gun just in case. Right off the bat, the Rabies shots she is now being subjected to, (which are VERY painful) could have possibly be avoided if the body (upon examination by a vet/lab) was found to NOT have rabies.

The US national parks usually will go after and kill any animal that attacks humans, since once they do that, they are more likely to repeat it.

But hey--the reason I personally would have wanted a gun would have been to stop to 'check on' a stopped vehicle!

Or maybe she was a small woman wearing a red outfit with a hood.

The wolf thought she looked like a dear.

wild speculation

freedom1st-1226470

Speculation for sure, but now that you mention it, it actually makes more sense than the other way. I've seen a few wolves in the wild, they are very skittish. I don't see how a wild wolf would be anywhere near the parked car even. I have a friend with hybrid wolves as pets, and they are much scarier than the wild ones in my opinion.

Freedom, that sounds like a very plausible answer. Perhaps the "pet" had to poo and was let out of the car. When he saw the woman approach, he went into "protect" mode. Makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense, however, is the fact that the other driver just watched and did nothing. That alone makes me think he/she may have owned the wolf and didn't want to let that be known because of a possible law suit.

You beat me to it. That jumped out at me. WTF indeed.

I think that means the wolf kept following her until she got back into her car. I would've freaked out lol

That also makes me think the wolf was a hybrid and maybe the pet of the owner of the parked car who had stopped to let it take care of the call of nature.

If that is true, shame on him for not producing vet papers on the animal.

From the Canada National Post (the attack occurred on March 8):

He dug deeper with his teeth,” Ms. Hepp says. “I had my coat on, and so when he went to get a better grip he let go — and then I gave him a look.”

A look of reproach for a furry beast that said: How dare you? And then Ms. Hepp, who doesn’t own a cell phone, because she would never use it, turned on her heel and calmly walked back to her truck, the wolf trailing behind.

“He was big,” she says. “I kept my eye on him. He was on my heels, almost smiling at me. He looked like he wanted to come for a ride. I opened the door of my truck and put one foot in, slowly, then the other, and he gave a shake of his head and…”

And then, to the astonishment of the wolf — one supposes — and to the carload of people who witnessed the attack, Dawn Hepp drove away although not before checking on the stunned witnesses to make sure they were OK.

She had some nasty puncture wounds - too deep to stitch.

The heaviest Canadian Timber Wolf on record is 175 pounds, found in Alaska in 1939. Typical size is 100 - 120 pounds. When he is clamped around your neck he will surely seem heavier than he is.

I know...I had the same question. If you link to the Canadian write up, you get the excerpt posted by MPA

Yeah, how does that work! Going for the throat (literally) one minute and walking around with you the next?

I'm sure you characters would have gotten the wolf's weight exactly correct had you been the ones having your throats mauled...get over yourselves will you!

FormerCARes

'wolf in tow'??? WTF does that mean?

Repeating what I said to another person, it means the wolf was following her.

If it was a hybrid pet, it very well could have weighed a good 200 lbs. I had a Newfoundland that weighed 215 lbs......

Here is the other driver's account.....totally different story!

Very lucky women. (Despite the rabies shots) These creatures have amazing jaw pressure.

Know where I can get any of those "AR-51's?"

Hilarious.

Why do you say such stupid stuff??? Take your medicine Banaschar!!

Why do people think Canadians down't own guns? They do own guns (many hunters in Canada), as far as I know tho it is difficult to get a permit for handguns, and conceal carry is illegal.

Thanks for the laugh, that was hilarious!

When the woldbane blooms and the autumn moon is full . . .

lol good one. And I watched An American in London a few days ago lol, the scene on the moor is great.

I guess you should tell that to the wolf.

They say during the French war in Mexico. The wolves only ate the dead French troops. It had to do with seasoning, hot sauce doesn't set well with wolves. It really bothered the French troops at the time.

LOL. The francaises probably tasted like cheese, butter and fine red wine - instead of hot peppers.

Mondo Spirit

Wolves don't attack humans unless sick.

This is a myth. In many attacks the wolves were healthy.

Here's a good read from Abondant Wildlife Society of North America: The wolf, myth, legend & misconception , there is also a page about Wolf attacks on humans .

Yep. Some of us men are aware of that. We're not wimps either.

We just know that sometimes it's best to walk away from the soon-to-be ex wife. LOL.

Not as well, all married no THE LOOK!

Love you guys! LOL Shame about that soon to be ex. Hope you find someone special.

My hubby knows the LOOK too. He tries to act like he didn't see it and heads out on some errand. My eldest girl has learned from the master and gives me the look right back. Neither of us backs down. She's 14 so my hell has just begun.

We get it because we didn't do an errand, so he is probally doing what he should have done in the first place ;-}

Yeah, I got "the look" just last night. Forgot to put the trash out on time...oops gotta go do the dishes real quick. Later

To be clear, I don't get "the look" in my current marriage. Ever.

Sometimes I get the silence, but I like that.

The oil sands are about 600 miles from where this happened. This happened closer to North Dakota by a long stretch.

Regardless, that doesn't change the facts that tar sands production is still devastating vast portions of Canada and countless species are being adversely affected.

I don't necessarily disagree with your post about the tar sands. I'm just pointing out that it has nothing to do with this wolf or even Manitoba in general.

AP/IL------------If the wolf was approx. 200 lbs, it could probably fell a tree, let alone large game.

AP/IL--you know, in the 70's, my ex worked for a public accounting firm that was auditing the Alaska Pipeline to determine who (State, Fed, and Oil companies) and the environmentalists made similar statements to the one you just did about the devastation the pipeline would do to the wildlife (and the Caribou--wow, the pipeline would totally disrupt their migratory routes, only it turns out, the heat of the pipeline melts the snow under it, and enables them to A) walk easier, not having to 'wade through' the snow, and B)giving them access to the grass) only to find out that the wildlife was not affected that much.

Said environmentalists shut one section of the pipeline construction down because there was an endangered eagle's nest pretty close to it, (and again, the environmentalists took them to court) right up until the judge was shown pictures of the COUNTY road that ran right under the nest without disturbing the Eagle.

Not saying the tar sands project is great, but the radical left frequently 'exaggerates' the situation to bolster THEIR agenda.

And don't forget to add this to the States:

C) Sue the pants off of anyone and every possible government agency

Yep, instead of fill in the blank it would be fill up the bank!

I am not formally educated but I have spent a lot of time with and studying animals. The wolf did not rip her throat out because it was simply showing her that IT was dominant over her. She did the aboslute right thing by not fighting. It saved her life. Most likely the wolf then followed her to her car because it considered her part of its pack. Probably a lone wolf with no current pack mates. Wolves just don't run around attacking people. Did anyone pay attention to how careful the wolf was not to clamp down on her throat? It had her life in its jaws and didn't kill her.

Gal's don't have brass :-} Oh sorry thought it was gass. That will get a wolf off ya!

Whatever the case, I'd say Dawn is very lucky. I'm like a few others that wondered why the people in other car didn't get out and try to distract that wolf so Dawn could make a quicker escape. Surely, it wasn't theirs and had been trained to attack strangers.

Bubba, females do have gonads. They are called "ovaries."

Look it up if you care to.

inMYday, I said BRASS, Not GONADS! Please read and comprehend, and quit giving yourself credit for a bad mistake. I know women have gonads I've been married for 30 years!

bubba,

My friend, based on the command of the English language and punctuation I've seen in your posts you are in no position to presume to lecture anyone on reading and comprehension.

have a nice evening.

With silver bullets...