A lone wolf wandering near a popular hiking route has prompted area closures around the Ä’äy Chù Valley of Kluane National Park.
According to a statement posted to Facebook by Parks Canada, the area closure was first implemented on Aug. 14 after parks staff received reports of a lone juvenile wolf displaying unnatural and dangerous behaviour towards visitors hiking in the area around Canada Creek backcountry campsite.
According to Parks Canada, multiple visitors reported being followed by the young wolf with some deploying bear spray to deter the animal. One visitor received minor injuries after being bitten by the wolf while sleeping outside their tent at Canada Creek.
In an update posted on Aug. 18, Parks Canada said that staff do not believe the wolf managed to obtain any food from these encounters.
Parks Canada Conservation Resource Officer Sarah Chisholm said this behavior is highly irregular for wolves in Kluane and Parks Canada.
“Typically wolves in Kluane are very elusive, its unusual to see a wolf, let alone have a close encounter of this nature,” said Chisholm.
“This is really unusual and the behaviour that was described by visitors who interacted with the animal is consistent with what’s been observed in food conditioned animals.”
In addition to protecting visitors, Parks Canada said the closure will allow staff to conduct site visits as they determine next steps.
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Chisholm said parks staff have been in the area investigating the incidents since the closure took effect.
As for what those next steps might be, Chisholm said that Parks Canada uses a variety of strategies to respond to incidents like these, such as attempting to “haze” the animal and restore its natural fear of humans. Parks staff may also decide to relocating the wolf to another area away from people, or could end up choosing the kill the wolf in order to protect the public.
In the meantime, visitors are asked to remain out of the closure areas with Parks Canada warning that those found violating the closure can be charged under the National Parks Act which carries a maximum fine of up to $25,000.
This marks the second human-wolf incident in the Yukon in less than three weeks after a British cyclist deployed bear spray to deter an apparently aggressive wolf while riding on the Alaska highway south of Whitehorse at the beginning of August.
These incidents however, remain exceedingly rare and Chisholm said there are no instances of wolf attacks in any Parks Canada records of Kluane. Across North America, there have been only a handful of documented attacks in the last two decades with a report published by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research finding only nine documented instances of wolf attacks on humans in all of Canada and the United States between 2002 and 2020.
Contact reporter Noah Korver at noah.korver@yukon-news.com
By Noah Korver, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 20, 2026 at 18:07
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