Patricia Wyman was working at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre Sanctuary in Canada, and was tasked with monitoring and feeding the pack of North American grey wolves
A young biologist was brutally killed by a pack of wolves just days after starting her dream job and entering the enclosure alone.
Patricia Wyman was a newly graduated biologist and had just landed a job at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre Sanctuary in Canada, where the savage attack unfolded. The 24-year-old was hired as a caretaker and was tasked with monitoring and feeding the pack of North American grey wolves.
Patricia had always been fascinated by the species, and the zoo pack were kept as wild as possible to give visitors a glimpse of their true nature – only being exposed to humans during feeding time. On her first day, Patricia was taken into the enclosure and shown where to feed the animals. The next day, she was tasked with feeding them alone, and spotted the alpha of the pack watching her. She returned home that evening and described the day’s events to her fiance – but didn’t alert park staff.
On April 18, 1996 – for reasons which are still unknown – she entered the enclosure again on her own. Erich Klinghammer, a wolf biologist who carried out an investigation into the attack, thinks Patricia would have unlocked the main gate, alerting the wolves to her presence.
The ground was covered in fallen trees and branches which Patricia may have tripped on, sealing her fate. The entire pack may have joined the attack, each weighing up to 80kg and leaving her with no chance of escape. Two horrified employees discovered Patricia’s body that afternoon and called police, who found a pack of wolves standing guard over the body. They were quickly surrounded and fired warning shots into the air before calling for back-up. Eventually, six officers were able to recover her body – her clothing had been torn off and there were multiple bite wounds all over her body.
Analysing the attack, Mr Klinghammer wrote: “I think that as the curious wolves approached, and most likely circled her, she probably tripped and fell. That is all the opportunity wolves need to attack, which they did. That she was attacked by several , and perhaps all the wolves, is attested by the fact that her clothing was strewn all over, and that she had multiple bite wounds all over her body and extremities.
“Tasting flesh probably triggered some feeding behavior, although generally speaking wolves avoid unfamiliar food.” Following the attack, a coroner ruled that the wolves should be killed. Describing Patricia, Mr Klinghammer said: “[She] was an enthusiastic, young woman who considered this the ideal job she had always wanted. Her love of wolves perhaps made her a little more bold than she should have been, but she was very brave indeed.” £0 years later, the sanctuary now boasts a 5000-square foot wolf centre and one-way glass observatories overlooking the seven-acre enclosure where its wolf pack lives.
