Teen Boy Attacked by Wolf at North Central Minn. Campsite

A teen boy was attacked by a wolf at the West Winnie campground, Minnesota, in the early hours of Saturday morning, August 24

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a  press release stating that a 16-year-old boy, Noah Graham, was injured in a wolf attack at the campsite on Lake Winnibigoshish in north Central Minnesota and sustained several puncture wounds and a laceration to his head.

The campground that is operated by the U.S. Forest Service was temporarily shut down after the wolf attack. The boy was rushed to the hospital and received first aid.

"The wolf just came up behind Noah, he didn't hear anything, and it just grabbed him by the back of the head and wouldn't let go," said Scott Graham, Noah's father.

The injured boy was interrogated by a team of officers from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, U.S. Forest Service and the DNR. His father was also questioned about the incident.

Other campers at the site told the DNR team that an animal had punctured their air mattress and bitten through their tent. One camper spotted a wolf near his campsite that matched the description of the animal involved in the attack.

"This is an extremely rare incident and not normal wolf behavior," said Tom Provost, regional manager of the DNR's Enforcement Division, in a news release. "Because wolf bites or attacks on humans are so rare, they are poorly understood. These rare incidents have usually involved food-habituated wolves and have led to minor injuries, but no fatalities."

Two days after the attack, an average sized male wolf that matched the description of the wolf involved in the attack was caught. The 75 pounds animal was killed at the campground.  The officials  transported the wolf to the University of Minnesota veterinary diagnostic lab where it will be tested for rabies.

A few tips on how to be safe from a wolf attack, click here.