Autopsy concludes animal killed rural teacher

An autopsy has concluded that a rural teacher was killed by animals and the head of the Alaska State Troopers says wolves are the likely suspect.

[seenalot]

Horrible ending. Eaten alive is not what most of us think of as a "way to go." The terror when it hit her she was being hunted/stalked must have been unimaginable. One can only hope her life ended swiftly with too much pain.

[hmmm]

Couldn't she have been killed and thrown aside; later attracting the wolves?

[aaah oooooo]

Maybe they were Democrat wolves who thought she was Sarah Palin the wolf killer. That would be one way to keep her from running in 2012.

[Dan the Man]

Wolves killing people in Alaska and wildcats running loose in the borough of Chambersburg.

What's next?

[dpc373]

Horrible way to go.
Should have been packing.

[Say What]

hmmm wrote:

Couldn't she have been killed and thrown aside; later attracting the wolves?

Ummm, the reports says the autopsy ruled out other causes of deaths, ruled it as the result of an animal but could not confirm what type!

[Eugh]

hmmm wrote:

Couldn't she have been killed and thrown aside; later attracting the wolves?

Wolves are carnivores not scavangers, they only eat what they kill. If it were hyenias then you would have a point.

[hmmm]

Eugh wrote:

<quoted text>
Wolves are carnivores not scavangers, they only eat what they kill. If it were hyenias then you would have a point.

Well, this article I found says wolves won't eat humans.
http://www.wolfcountry.net/information/WolfHu...

But maybe if they are hungry enough they will eat something already dead even a human??

[Say What]

Eugh wrote:

<quoted text>
Wolves are carnivores not scavangers, they only eat what they kill. If it were hyenias then you would have a point.

Not true Eugh. Wolves, like all carnivores are opportunistic.

I've been on hunts out west and have seen wolves first hand eating winter kills, carcasses of animals killed by hunters and so on.

[HGW]

What a horrible sad story. I know Hollywood will love it for a motion picture!

[No Surprise]

For those not in the know, we have past winters up here in Alaska when wolves have stalked people but didn't manage to complete their mission for one or more reasons.
Next, in the news up here, it was stated that this gal fought off the (supposed unknown animal type) from the point of attack with a knife for 50 to 100 yards till the (supposed unknown animal type) finally killed her and then dragged her off to a frozen lake where the (supposed unknown animal type) then began to eat her, tearing her clothes off to get to her flesh.
This wasn't a bear. No bear prints were found. No prints of any other type pack animal were found along the bloody battle trail except wolf prints.
Also, the herds of moose and caribou are really thin in that area by over kill by bear and wolves. So with it being winter in that area and game very sparse to be found, it is not a shock to us up here that a pack of wolves would see a lone human as a tasty meal who haven't eaten for a couple weeks or more.

[No Surprise]

Here is an article with statements from the people that found her. Go to adn.com and type in 'wolf attack' to pull up relevent articles.

From the Anchorage Daily News.

Four people riding snowmachines along the road came across her body about 6:30 p.m. Monday. Gregory Kalmakoff, 23, said by phone Wednesday he and the others had been out riding at Portage Bay and were on their way back.

"There was a blood spot on the road," he said. "I turned around, looked and there was drag marks going down a little hill."

There were wolf tracks in the new snow and footprints left by a person, he said. It appeared something had been dragged off the road, said Kalmakoff's cousin, 24-year-old Jacob Kalmakoff, who troopers say was among those who discovered the body.

"We seen her gloves on the road where she was running," Kalmakoff said. "She didn't get away too far from them; they took her down pretty fast. You could see a blood trail of her body getting drug down the hill."

They went down the hill to investigate and found Berger's remains not too far down. Berner's arms and head had been mangled, Jacob Kalmakoff said.

[Chambersburg]

Sarah Palin was there.

[Smitty]

There needs to be accountability here. I want these wolves captured and prosecuted to the FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW.

[PA Citizen]

Wolves are actually omnivores, meaning they are opportunistic feeders. They feed on most anything available to them. Wolf attacks against humans are very rare in North America and typically involve women and children when they do occur. Wolves usually feed on the internal organs first after a kill. According to the article in the Anchorage Daily News the woman’s body was drug out onto a frozen lake. Wolves will do this in an effort to protect the food source from a larger and heavier predator - such as a bear - in the hope that the larger predator is not willing to venture onto the ice. None of this is meant to disrespect the victim. I am merely trying to present facts. My thoughts and prayers go out the family and friends of Ms. Berger.

[DUH]

Look, someone innocent died here...quit talking smack to each other and get to the point....

My thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Berners heartbroken family/friends! Rest in peace!

[JEB]

Lived in Alaska for a couple of years, and it can be a dangerous place, where a wrong move can be deadly. I think that's the lure for a lot of people. I heard of a few bear attacks when I was there, but never a wolf, but they were just reintroducing them at that time. I imagine if the game gets scarce, humans become prey.

[Tex]

JEB wrote:

Lived in Alaska for a couple of years, and it can be a dangerous place, where a wrong move can be deadly. I think that's the lure for a lot of people. I heard of a few bear attacks when I was there, but never a wolf, but they were just reintroducing them at that time. I imagine if the game gets scarce, humans become prey.

You have to remember where you are in the food chain. Wolves usually go for the fat Republicans first.

[2 cents]

Reading this thread is really telling of the type of Characters we have here. This event is of a human losing their life. Yet, the disrespectfull political bashers find no more to comment then making a political comedy of a serious tragedy. What a shame and how foolish.

[BGSU]

This is the best article I could find even though it's prior to the autopsy. Overall, it sounds like a case of someone, for what ever reason, not being in enough fear of the dangers in the area. There's a good bit of commentary at the end of the article.

http://www.adn.com/2010/03/09/1175725/wolf-bl...

Condolences to her family.