VANCOUVER -- Stanley Russ does not remember the entirety of the attack that left him badly injured and recovering in a Vancouver hospital.
The 72-year-old was attacked by a wolf near his home in Port Edward, B.C., south of Prince Rupert, on May 29.
"It happened so fast. I didn't even see the wolf coming. Didn't even know it was there," Russ said from his hospital bed at Vancouver General Hospital.
"I have been bitten by a dog and it is nothing compared to a wolf. He busted my ankle."
According to his son, Frank Russ, Stanley’s ankle was punctured and dislocated by the wolf as it dragged him during the attack.
"He could have died. It's that simple. It wouldn't stop," explained Frank.
He was there during the attack and may have saved his father’s life.
"When I heard him yell, 'I'm getting attacked by a wolf,' I just ran in and got between him and the wolf, so my wife could check on him and she called 911 right away," he explained.
Frank Russ said neighbours used their car alarm to scare the animal away.
Family members flew into Vancouver on Tuesday to visit Stanley in hospital – but doubt they will be able to see him during the ongoing pandemic.
Recent wolf sightings in Prince Rupert have been well documented on a community Facebook group.
On Tuesday, B.C. conservation officers said they had located and killed a lone wolf in Port Edward and will now perform a necropsy.
"We are hoping from there that we will be able to tell whether this is the wolf that was responsible for the attack or not,” said Insp. Cam Schley with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
Stanley Russ said he will likely be in hospital for two weeks, but is eager to recover and go back home.
“Oh yes I'm anxious. I'm not used to this bed. I'm not used to beds," he said.
Conservation officers said this is only the third recorded B.C. wolf attack in the past 20 years.
With files from The Canadian Press.
