Officials cancel classes after wild predator is spotted near US school: 'They're trying to cover huge distances very quickly'

A school in Southeastern Oregon canceled classes after a wolf sighting in the area.

KTVZ News reported that officials at Butte Falls Charter School, which serves 159 students, from kindergartners to high school seniors, made the decision after spotting the wolf near the property at 1:15 p.m. Feb. 12. The school worked with state and federal authorities to manage the situation.

The station noted that this followed a series of wolf sightings across Central Oregon. Aaron Bott, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said that it likely had to do with mate finding, which drives increased movement into rural neighborhoods around this time of year. 

"Their hormones are raging and they only go into heat for a very short period of time," Bott told KTVZ. "So they're trying to cover huge distances very quickly to make that breeding window."

On Facebook, commenters chimed in with various opinions. 

"This would be a great opportunity to teach the children about wildlife, how we as humans are encroaching on the wildlife, and just maybe one or two of the children will grow up … and stand up for the wildlife," one person said. 

Not everyone feels so friendly about wolves, however. 

"Let the hunters in for a weekend," another user wrote. "Problem solved."

The latter comment brings to light anti-wolf sentiment that exists across the country. While much of the controversy centers on wolves as dangerous predators, fatal attacks on humans are rare.

"Between 2002 and 2020, researchers found 26 fatal attacks throughout the world," according to the International Wolf Center. "Of those, 14 were due to rabies."

Wolves are widely considered to be beneficial for landscapes, as they prey on animals that would otherwise overgraze vegetation. Though they do also prey on livestock — a legitimate concern for ranchers — state and federal programs compensate ranchers for livestock losses due to wolf predation. 

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