Like I said, wolves are the new bears

Testing to be done on wolves to see if they killed Ontario man last week

The Canadian Press

SASKATOON (CP) - Two wolves from Saskatchewan's northern hinterland have been shot and sent to a Saskatoon lab to determine if they killed an Ontario man last week. The animals are suspected to be part of a pack seen around the body of Kenton Joel Carnegie, 22, when searchers found him, according to Tim Trottier, a wildlife ecologist with Saskatchewan Environment. However, he said there is also a possibility the animals were drawn to the site because there was a dead body. An autopsy has confirmed Carnegie was killed by some kind of animal, and RCMP said foul play has been ruled out.

Carnegie, a third-year geological engineering student from the University of Waterloo, was on a three-week work term. It would have been his dream job - working in a remote place surrounded by nature, said Leo Rothenburg, one of Carnegie's professors.

"He was a very kind soul, always trying to help everyone. He was also a very good artist. He does sketching and maybe that's why he was walking in the woods trying to find a place where he could sit down and sketch." Carnegie was staying at a mining camp near Points North, on the west part of Wollaston Lake, while doing aerial surveys for Ottawa-based Sander Geophysics Ltd. The other crew members left shortly after the incident.

At university, Carnegie was director of the engineering society, acting as intermediary between professors and students and was quite popular with both groups, Rothenburg said.

"He was very friendly, always smiling. I don't think I ever saw him upset," he said. "Students trusted him and he always knew what to do for the class. He was very meticulous in the way he dealt with student issues. It will be difficult to fill his shoes and presence."

Luise Sander, co-president of the survey company for which Carnegie was working, said an internal investigation is underway to review the incident and determine if any changes in protocol are necessary at the company.

Wolves are typically afraid of people but have become more comfortable around northern camps where food scraps are readily available, said Trottier. Wolves are at risk to attack if they are wounded or diseased and have been shunned by the pack. But there has never been a documented case of a fatal wolf attack in North America, Trottier said.