Woman, dogs attacked by Alaskan wolves

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A pack of wolves attacked three women and their dogs this week in Alaska where wolf attacks have been increasing in frequency.

Regional wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott said the attack close to the U.S. Army's Fort Richardson installation near Anchorage marked a new trend by a particularly vicious wolf pack, the Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday.

"That's definitely a bit of escalation on the wolves' part," Sinnott said.

"We're a little more concerned about these instances because the wolves are kind of upping the ante a bit. If they keep it up, we will have to do something lethal."

While Thursday's attack by the Elmendorf wolf pack only resulted in minor injuries, previous attacks have ended with several canine fatalities.

The Daily News said the Elmendorf pack is the only Anchorage-area wolf pack thought to be behind the recent series of attacks on local dogs or humans.