Kelowna couple says they came across pack of wolves at Mission Recreation Park

Photo: Mike Walchuck

One of the wolves spotted by Mike Walchuck on Black Mountain on Jan. 21, 2023.

A Kelowna couple says they were chased by a pack of wolves while walking their dog in the Lower Mission Wednesday night.

Kevin Pylpow, his partner Dena Guenther and their dog Sonny were out at Mission Recreation Park just after 8 p.m. when they heard loud howling.

"We heard full cries at the top of their lungs and they were on the other side of the fence from us. I said to Dena 'that's a wolf' and she said 'that's a wolf' at the exact same time."

"I was so scared that I just started to panic. Being halfway through the park I grabbed [Sonny] by the collar and I started really running with him. Dragging him and Dena kept telling me don't run because it is like them chasing a kill."

Pylpow says once they ran for a few minutes they made it to a willow tree where Guenther says she spotted the pack.

"She saw a big black one there. I think they were running parallel to the sidewalk chasing us, but they were on the other side of the fence."

Eventually the couple and dog made it back to the car.

"I couldn't get back to the car fast enough. It was probably the scariest moment I have had in my life. We were so rattled it took us a couple hours to calm down."

"I am 1,000 per cent sure it was wolves because coyotes have a yipping sound. I hear coyotes all the time and it doesn't even bother me. Last night it was wolves. It was as loud and as clear as day. It was haunting right to the bone and it made me so frazzled. I said Dena 'they are chasing us', she said 'I know.'"

Sonny, a 15 year-old chocolate lab, was shaken up.

"I went there today with the bear spray and my walking stick with spikes in it. I wanted to case it out, but I told Dena last night we can't walk Sonny at the park anymore."

A pack of wolves were spotted in Black Mountain on January 21.

In late November, Kane Blake of the Okanagan Forest Task Force posted a video of what looked like wolves prowling around his home in Lake Country.

Wolf sightings are rare in the Okanagan, but not unheard of. It is estimated that there are approximately 8,500 wolves in BC.

Wolves are larger than coyotes with wide broad paws, a broader snout and rounded ear tips. While running, wolves tend to carry their tails out behind them unlike coyotes that will carry their tails downwards.

Castanet has reached out to B.C. Conservation for comment and is awaiting a response.