by Editorial Staff
Dead Man Eaten by Bear was Convicted Murderer
A
convicted murderer who had been reported missing the last week of May, was found dead. His body had been partially eaten by a black bear on a remote road near Kamloops, British Columbia. The B.C. Coroner’s service and the RCMP said that 53-year-old Rory Nelson Wagner, had been living in Kamloops, before he disappeared. The National Parole Board confirmed that Mr. Wagner had plead guilty to second-degree murder in 1994. He and two others were charged with the killing of a Langley, B.C., man in 1993. The killers believed the victim had sexually assaulted their family member. The parole documents show the murder victim was charged with the sexual assault, but was found not guilty shortly before he was murdered. Authorities say they do not believe Mr. Wagner’s death in his car was the result of suicide. But more likely that the bear had killed him, drug his body from the car, consumed part of his body, and then buried the rest. Hunters found Mr. Wagner’s remains after finding his abandoned Volkswagon Jetta on a logging road. At this time, it is unclear whether the bear killed Mr. Wagner, or if his death was caused from a drug overdose, preceding being pulled from the vehicle by the bear. The toxicology reports are not yet in, but should be released in a few weeks. Conservation officers in the area are hunting for the man-eating bear. If the bear is found, their plan is to euthanize the bear, but also reported they would use their discretion, and make that determination at the scene. Black bears have killed only 61 people in North America since the 1900’s. You are more likely to die by being struck by lightning, and by a bee sting, than by being killed by a bear. Statistics show that the woods are actually a very safe place. I would bet that when the toxicology reports come in it will be determined that Mr. Wagner’s death was actually caused from drug overdose, and that the bear merely needed a snack.
5FRESH SIGN5
NUMBERS 5,500
Estimated number of wolves in the lower 48 states.
3,000
Estimated number of wolves in Minnesota
43,300
Number of wolf tags sold in Idaho for the 2011-2012 season.
375
Number of wolves killed in Idaho by hunters and trappers in 2011.
570
Estimated population of wolves in Idaho by Fish and Game biologists.
1200-1600
Estimated number of wolves in Idaho by other groups.
Summer 2012
9