A dead wolf found on the outskirts of Tofino last Tuesday is believed to have been the victim of a wolf-on-wolf attack.
A pedestrian walking through a wooded area between the Pacific Rim Highway and South Chesterman Beach stumbled upon the wolf and alerted Pacific Rim National Park staff who reported the finding to the BC Conservation Officer service at around 12:30 p.m. Visible injuries to its body suggest the wolf was taken out by another wolf or wolves, according to Conservation Officer Brittany Mueller.
"We did locate some puncture wounds and cuts on the hindquarter, neck and foot," she said. "From what I could see it looks like it did get in a scrap with another animal."
A provincial wildlife veterinarian will perform a necropsy to confirm the cause of death and determine if there were any underlying reasons to explain why it was attacked.
"Wolves are very interesting animals so there could be a number of reasons as to why they did go after it," Mueller said.
She said wolf-on-wolf attacks are not uncommon but it is rare for the victim of such an attack to be found.
"It probably happens a lot more often than we know.," she said.