Patricia Wyman was a newly graduated biologist who had just landed her dream job
Patricia Wyman had started her dream job just days before (Image: Final Affliction/YouTube)
A young biologist was tragically killed by a pack of wolves just days after starting her dream job and entering the enclosure alone.
Patricia Wyman, a fresh graduate in biology, had just secured a position at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre Sanctuary in Canada, where the brutal attack took place. The 24-year-old was employed as a caretaker and was responsible for monitoring and feeding the pack of North American grey wolves.
Patricia had always been captivated by the species, and the zoo pack were kept as wild as possible to provide visitors with an insight into their true nature - only interacting with humans during feeding time. On her first day, Patricia was guided into the enclosure and shown where to feed the animals.
The following day, she was assigned to feed them alone, and noticed the alpha of the pack observing her. She returned home that evening and recounted the day's events to her fiance - but didn't inform park staff.
On April 18, 1996 - for reasons which remain unclear - she entered the enclosure again on her own. Erich Klinghammer, a wolf biologist who conducted an investigation into the attack, believes Patricia would have unlocked the main gate, alerting the wolves to her presence, reports <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/wolf-expert-torn-pieces-pack-36263599" rel="Follow" target="_self">the Mirror</a>.
The wolves had been kept as wild as possible (Image: Getty Images)
The forest floor was littered with fallen trees and branches which Patricia may have stumbled over, determining her tragic end. The entire wolf pack likely participated in the assault, with each animal weighing up to 80kg, leaving her with virtually no possibility of survival.
Two distressed workers came across Patricia's remains that afternoon and alerted authorities, who arrived to find a pack of wolves standing sentinel over the corpse. Officers quickly found themselves encircled and discharged warning shots skyward before requesting reinforcements.
Ultimately, six police officers managed to retrieve her body - her garments had been ripped away and there were numerous bite marks covering her entire body.
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The wolves were standing guard over her body (Image: Getty Images)
Examining the incident, Mr Klinghammer wrote: "I think that as the curious wolves approached, and most likely circled her, she probably tripped and fell. That is all the opportunity wolves need to attack, which they did.
"That she was attacked by several , and perhaps all the wolves, is attested by the fact that her clothing was strewn all over, and that she had multiple bite wounds all over her body and extremities.
"Tasting flesh probably triggered some feeding behaviour, although generally speaking wolves avoid unfamiliar food."
After the attack, a coroner ruled that the wolves should be put down.
Speaking about Patricia, Mr Klinghammer said: "[She] was an enthusiastic, young woman who considered this the ideal job she had always wanted. Her love of wolves perhaps made her a little more bold than she should have been, but she was very brave indeed."
Decades later, the sanctuary now boasts a 5000-square foot wolf centre and one-way glass observatories overlooking the seven-acre enclosure where its wolf pack resides.
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