Contractor mauled by wolf at Cigar Lake mine

A contractor working in northern Saskatchewan is recovering in hospital after he was mauled by a wolf.

The 26-year-old victim was on his lunch break at Cameco’s Cigar Lake uranium mine Monday morning when the wolf made the unprovoked attack.

The incident ended when a security guard scared the animal away.

“We were very fortunate the security guard was in the place where she was,” said Rob Geraghty, Cameco spokesperson. “She took a number of steps to not only get the animal away, but also to administer first aid.”

Geraghty did not release details on the worker’s injuries, but he said they were serious enough the man had to be airlifted to hospital.

The worker remains in a Saskatoon hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Meanwhile, employees on site have been put on alert.

All personnel have been told they must use vehicles to get around the area until further notice.

The Ministry of Environment was still looking for the wolf involved on Tuesday, but Conservation Officer Kevin Harrison said three other wolves have since been shot and killed.

“They’ve been taken out of the vicinity of the mine site, however it’s suspected the wolf in the attack still remains in the area,” Harrison said.
 
The three animals were sent to the University of Saskatchewan for testing to determine if they were sick in any way.
 
Harrison said the wolf population in northern Saskatchewan is considered ‘low density’.
 
“They may concentrate more on the vicinity of where human development is, looking for easy food,” Harrison said.
 
There have only been three documented wolf attacks in Saskatchewan in the last 12 years, according to Harrison.
 
In 2004, a worker was jumped by a wolf at Cameco’s Key Lake mine. 
 
Another worker was attacked in the 2005.