ALASKAN hunters were yesterday searching a remote peninsula for a pack of up to four wolves believed to have killed a 32-year-old jogger in what is described as the first fatal wolf attack in the United States for decades.

Candice Berner, a remedial teacher who had moved to Alaska from Pennsylvania last August, died as she was running on a deserted road near Chignik Lake, a village of 105 residents 500 miles southwest of Anchorage.

An autopsy confirmed that Berner, who was only 4ft 11in, had been chased by animals, presumed to be wolves, which dragged her off the road. Her partially eaten body was discovered by snowmobilers who followed a trail of blood in the snow.

“The damage to the throat was severe,” said Colonel Audie Holloway of the Alaska state troopers. “Wolves, just like big cats, usually attack the windpipe area and try to control the victim that way.”

Residents said wolves were commonly sighted in the area, and had been spotted lingering unusually close to the village in the days before the attack.

“They’ve been getting too close, circling, making people fearful for their safety,” said Megan Peters, a state trooper spokeswoman.

The last recorded fatal wolf attack in north America occurred in 2005 in Saskatchewan, Canada.

One expert said Berner’s jogging may have encouraged the attack. “The whole running thing is something that can elicit a predatory attack,” said Mark McNay, a retired wildlife biologist. “It suggests vulnerability.”