Elmendorf wolves spotted near housing, officials alert

Remember all those earlier reports about a wolfpack from the Eagle River area killing domestic dogs and stalking people on the trails? Well, according to Alaska Star, military and state wildlife officials are putting special attention on the pack after two wolves from it were recently spotted, in separate encounters, near housing facilities on the Fort Richardson side of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The wolves retreated when they became aware of human witnesses, but given the pack's recent history, officials aren't going to mess around with any wolves that don't show fear. Conservation teams have been authorized to kill fearless wolves there, said Jessy Coltrane, the state wildlife biologist who took over for Rick Sinnott in the Anchorage area, but there are no plans to eradicate the pack. Fort Richardson natural resources specialist David Battle said, "At this point, no fear would be aggression enough." Read much more, here.