Spider approched the wolf body with visible caution. I think he recognized it was dead but he could not overcome this deep sense of fear.
I approached it the same way. I was super curious and wanting to check it out but my instincts were on high alert.
Since there is some interest I have a pretty good idea what happen to bring about the death of the black wolf.
The wolf's body was located just off a mountain bike trail in the Bluff Mountain Bike Area on the slope above Smithers B.C. In the days leading up to my finding it, there were some posts on social media about their being a moose kill in that general area. Some wolves had taken one down on one of the old logging roads that weave through the bike trails. Be careful, and the Conservation Officers had been notified, was the general gist of the messaging. I think C.O.'s went out and dealt with it but don't fully remember. I never saw the kill but I remember it was a bt of a topic of conversation amongst the folks who ride those trails.
Anyways, a handul of days after the social media moose kill stuff I was out for a ride on one of the lesser riden trails on the outer edge of the trail network (Remembrance Day for those familiar with the zone). I turn a corner and there it is. Upon examining the body I noticed that there was a hairless circle of bulbous, traumatized looking skin just below it's rib cage. You can see it in the pic quite clearly.
My theory was that black wolf got a moose hoof to the guts as the pack was taking down the moose. Took one for the team basically. That's just a theory I came up with but it makes sense to me and the wound area was pretty wound area was pretty f'ed looking. Internal injuries. Succomb to them a few days later.
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