The two schools in Nain were closed for a second day as provincial wildlife officers set up snares in the snow-covered hills around the coastal community, which is home to 1,300 mainly Inuit residents. One wolf was shot and killed near one of the schools Monday night. The carcass was sent to a lab in St. John's, Nfld., to be tested for rabies. It doesn't appear to be a skinny animal that was starving. It's hard to say what's bringing them into town.
Wolves are common in coastal Labrador, especially when caribou herds are on the move.
But they normally avoid populated areas. Though centuries of folklore have given the wolf a bad name, only animals with rabies have been known to attack humans, and those instances are extremely rare. They're very difficult to spot or get close to - but apparently these wolves are coming into front yards and attacking dogs right on the steps of houses. So far, the wolves have attacked 10 dogs in the community. One dog was killed Sunday and another had to be destroyed because it was badly mauled.