During a camping retreat last weekend with members of his church, 16-year-old Noah Graham was attacked by a timber wolf in the first known attack in Minnesota, CBS News reported.
Graham's frightening encounter with the wolf happened as he was preparing to fall asleep, around 4 a.m. at West Winnie Campground on Lake Winnibigoshish in north central Minnesota.
"The wolf just came up behind Noah, he didn't hear anything, and it just grabbed him by the back of the head and wouldn't let go," said Scott Graham, the boy's father.
The grey 75-pound wolf's claws left a cut on Noah's head that resulted in 17 staples and multiple lacerations behind his left ear.
"He had to physically pry the jaws of the wolf open...to get it off of him. And once he got it off of him and he was up, the wolf stood there growling at him," he said. "And he had to shout at it and kick at it to get it to go away," Scott Graham said.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said this was the first known attack they've ever heard of in the state.
"Our records do not reflect that we've had wolf attacks like this in Minnesota," said Col. Ken Soring, enforcement director of the DNR. "It's too early to speculate as far as the condition or the causes with this animal, but it is not characteristic of wolves to approach people."
Graham's injuries were immediately taken care of, which included several shots to fight off the potential of contracting rabies. His father said he's doing well and is in stable condition.
The campground, which is operated by the U.S. Forest Service, was temporarily closed following the wolf attack. The U.S. Department of Agriculture captured and killed the wolf so it could be tested for rabies at a University of Minnesota lab.
