Wolf Attack Inquest Continues Today
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 13:38
Two experts gave their theories this morning about how a geology student was killed near Points North Landing two years ago.
The first person to take the stand was professor Ernie Walker, a forensic I.D. specialist from the University of Saskatchewan.
He attended the autopsy on 22-year-old Kenton Carnegie, a day after his partially-eaten body was pulled from some bush near a mining camp.
Walker said the wounds were consistent with that of a large predator, possibly wolves.
He also took samples from two wolves caught near the site and sent them to an expert in B.C. That specialist found hair, which he believed was likely human, inside one of the wolves.
The next person to take the stand was Dr. Paul Paquet, a university expert on wilderness attacks.
Paquet told the inquest he didn’t think wolves were the likely cause of Carnegie’s death. Rather, he said the evidence points to the work of a black bear.
For one, Walker said the types of wounds sustained by the victim were consistent with black bear attacks.
He also noted that organs usually consumed by wolves were left untouched, and that the body was dragged several metres by the neck and shoulders.
He said a wolf pack would have pulled it in several directions, trying to rip it apart.
In conclusion, he said he thought it was possible wolves had killed Carnegie, but it was much more likely to have been a black bear.
He testified the hair found in the wolf’s stomach could have come from the nearby landfill, or that maybe a pack of wolves drove off the bear after the kill and went for it themselves.
The inquest continues througout the week.