Emily Freitas has lived on the border of Far North Bicentennial Park for a decade, but it wasn\u2019t until late August when she first saw a pack of wolves in the city. She was walking her three dogs on a trail less than a half-mile from her East Anchorage home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first wolf came out of the woods, and then the dogs just froze, and then the rest came out. It just stood there and stayed. They all just stared at each other for five [or] 10 minutes,\u201d she said<\/p>\n
It was around 9 p.m. when she saw the six wolves. They were about 50 yards away \u2013 close enough that Freitas snapped a picture of the pack staring directly back at her.<\/p>\n
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Emily Freitas walked up on this wolf pack in late August in Far North Bicentennial Park. She said there were six wolves.<\/p>\n
She has spotted the animals a few times since, as recently as Nov. 6 when one ran down the trail away from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was 11 in the morning, but it was walking down the trail towards us, and then it stopped,\u201d she said. \u201cIt saw us, and then the dog saw it, and it just turned and ran.\u201d <\/p>\n
She said she thinks they\u2019ve been in the area because of a moose carcass. <\/p>\n
Several other residents who recreate in the greater Anchorage area have reported seeing or hearing wolves recently. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game confirms a trio of wolves attacked a pet dog<\/a> in South Anchorage in October, injuring the animal.<\/p>\n Anchorage area biologist Cory Stantorf said his department doesn\u2019t have much data on the animals in the city, but they\u2019re hoping to learn more through a GPS collaring study that started in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to fill that gap because they’re an important predator on moose and Dall sheep, occasionally a mountain goat,\u201d Stantorf said. \u201cThere’s also the public safety aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Two wolves are currently collared, he said, and biologists hope they provide a window into the animals\u2019 behavior and movements.<\/p>\n Stantorf estimated there are two or three packs of wolves in the game unit that borders the city, but said negative encounters are unusual. <\/p>\n Fish and Game isn\u2019t concerned about the reported interactions and Stantorf stressed residents shouldn\u2019t worry either. Anchorage is home to a variety of wild animals, including wolverines, foxes and lynx, and Stantorf said the sightings are a reminder that we\u2019re in the animals\u2019 territory.<\/p>\n Wolves rarely<\/a> attack humans, although a couple killed a woman<\/a> near Chignik Lake on the Alaska Peninsula in 2010. It was only the second documented fatal wolf attack<\/a> in North America in history. Although it\u2019s rare, biologists say wolves occasionally kill dogs.<\/p>\n A white wolf that roamed the city in 2016 made headlines for dragging a caribou hide<\/a> into the woods. The wolf, which was female, was eventually hit and killed by a car. Last year, an animal that looked a lot like a wolf but also a dog, was loose in the city. The animal, nicknamed \u201cGary,\u201d<\/a> turned out to be a wolf hybrid and was eventually found dead at a busy intersection.<\/p>\n Rick Sinnott, who was the Anchorage-area biologist for more than a decade, said residents are much more likely to come across a bear or moose than a wolf. The animals\u2019 behavior is complex, but he said they tend to avoid people.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery once in a while you get this pattern where there’s a pack that just tends to get a little bolder. With wildlife, you don’t always know what they’re thinking,\u201d Sinnott said.<\/p>\n That could be what\u2019s happening now, he said.<\/p>\n