Few animals are as good at hunting as wolves, which often hunt in small packs. With wolves spotted once again in Grand Marais, remember to keep an eye on your pets when you let them outside. Gary Siesennop caught this pair on his game camera just a few miles outside of the Grand Marais city limits.
Imagine Victor Pederson’s surprise when he stepped outside to let his dog go to the bathroom and two wolves appeared from behind a parked car and killed the dog with one bite to the head.
“My dog didn’t feel anything,” Pederson said. “I was only two feet away but I couldn’t do anything. They were quick. I’m sure my dog had no idea they were behind the car. He didn’t act like he knew they were there. I know I didn’t have any idea they were right there.”
Pederson went inside and grabbed a pistol and scared the wolves away. The Maple Hill man lives near the Gunflint Hills Golf Course and is used to seeing wild animals nearby, but not as close as those wolves got, and not that unafraid and that predatory.
Last year several dogs in Grand Marais and the surrounding area were killed by wolves. This year is no different. There are plenty of wolves around and they are federally protected so they can’t be hunted, so please keep your pets nearby and on a leash. It won’t always work, but it may keep the wolves at bay. As Pederson found out, his dog was leashed but the wolves didn’t care.
Residents are also encouraged to keep an eye on livestock. A family on West 5th Street in Grand Marais lost five chickens that had escaped from their pen on August 24. After her dog made a commotion, Sara Silence looked outside to see a healthy wolf going back into the woods around her home.
The public is encouraged to contact a local conservation officer in the case of a pet or livestock being attacked by wildlife.
Thomas Wahlstrom
218-370-0244
Darin Fagerman
218-387-9751
Mary Manning
218-475-0121
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