Wolves Drive Woman Up Tree Near Wash. Campground

WINTRHOP, WA - A woman escaped a possible wolf attack last week northeast of Winthrop, according to multiple reports.

The woman, a research student, was doing surveying work near the Tiffany Creek Campground in the Okanagon-Wenatchee Forest Thursday when a wolf approached her. She deployed bear spray, but it did not deter the wolf. Soon others arrived, and the woman had to climb 30 feet up into a tree, according to the Associated Press.

While up in the tree, the woman was able to use a satellite phone to call the Okanagon County Sheriff's office. Eventually, a state Department of Natural Resources helicopter arrived on scene and rescued the woman. The noise of the helicopter scared away the wolves.

It is exceedingly rare for a wolf to approach a human. Between 1969 and 2001, there were 28 instances where a wolf was aggressive toward a human in North America. Two people have been killed by wolves in Alaska and Canada since 1950, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch