A 16-year-old Solway, Minn., boy was injured in an apparent wolf attack early Saturday morning as he rested in his tent on Lake Winnibigoshish near Cass Lake, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Noah Graham suffered puncture wounds on the left and right sides of his face.
“I had to reach behind me and jerk my head out of its mouth,” he said after being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a Bemidji hospital.
The incident occurred at the U.S. Forest Service’s West Winnie Campground, near where the Mississippi River enters Lake Winnibigoshish. The campground was closed and evacuated Saturday and remains closed, according to the DNR.
“The canine approached him from the rear and before he realized it was there, it had bit him in the back of his head,” said Tom Provost, DNR regional enforcement supervisor in Grand Rapids. “His first indication was when he had its jaws clamped down on his head.”
“He’s got puncture wounds on his head and an 11-centimeter (4.3-inch) wound that had to be closed,” said Cheri Zeppelin, DNR Northeast Region information officer in Grand Rapids.
Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, Provost said. He called the incident “a freak deal.”
“It’s the first one I’m aware of (in Minnesota),” he said. “I’m not aware of another where there was physical damage to the victim.”
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