The story of a Canadian woman out mushroom picking who was stalked by a wolf for 12 hours has drawn worldwide attention with some questioning the validity of the story.
It’s all a bit much for Joanne Barnaby to handle, she told the CBC, following the media storm. Barnaby said she’s been approached by media from all over the globe including move producers in Hollywood.
“It’s just really mind-boggling that the movie industry would be interested in my life,” she said. “I haven’t talked to any of them. I haven’t got a clue how to deal with that.”
Barnaby had been out mushroom picking with her dog Joey and another friend. But when the pair got separated it was just her and Joey alone in the woods.
As she was nearing her truck, she noticed a lone wolf, lean and agitated. “I heard this growl behind me. There was a long, tall, very, very skinny wolf. A black wolf. And his legs were spread and his hair was standing, and he was growling, and baring his teeth,” she told the CBC in the original story.
The dog charged the wolf, but it stood its ground. From then on, Barnaby noticed the wolf was stalking them, forcing her to change course away from the truck. The ordeal lasted 12 hours until she came across a bear and her cubs.
Taking a huge risk, Barnaby says she approached the bear hoping that the mother would attack the wolf to protect her cubs. And sure enough the plan worked. It could have just as likely gone the other way it seems. Barnaby is pretty lucky. And so is little Joey.
Some commenters to the CBC questioned the validity of the story, challenging whether a wolf would actually stalk a human. But more than likely it was going after the dog, hoping to separate the pair and tire them out.
“It most definitely was unusual. It’s crazy,” she said. “They usually don’t go after people. So he may have just been after my dog. I don’t know.”
Photo credit: Joanne Barnaby via CBC
