Camper Wakes With Head in Wolf's Jaws

Teen survived Minnesota's first-known wolf attack
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 28, 2013 1:21 AM CDT
Updated Aug 28, 2013 6:40 AM CDT
Camper Wakes With Head in Wolf's Jaws
A gray wolf, also known as a timber wolf, is seen in this photo provided by US Fish and Wildlife.   (AP Photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gary Kramer, File)

A Minnesota teen says he won't be going camping again for a while after surviving the first known wolf attack on a human in state history. Noah Graham, 16, awoke before dawn to find his head gripped in the jaws of a 75-pound gray wolf. "I had to reach behind me and jerk my head out of its mouth," he tells the Bemidji Pioneer. "After I got up, I was kicking at it and screaming at it and it wouldn’t leave. But then after awhile I got it to run away."

Noah needed 17 staples to close a wound in his head and is receiving anti-rabies shots. Police later shot and killed a wolf believed to have been the culprit. Experts have offered several reasons for the unprecedented attack, CBS reports. The wolf had a deformed jaw which would have made it hard to go after large prey, it may have become accustomed to scavenging for food at the campground, and Noah's reddish-brown hair may have caused the wolf to mistake his head for a smaller creature. (Read more gray wolf stories.)

We use cookies. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Read more in our privacy policy.
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X