Sask. man recovering in hospital after wolf attack at Cameco mine

A 26-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a wolf while on shift at a northern Saskatchewan mine.

The incident happened Monday morning at 12:05 a.m. CST at Cameco's Cigar Lake uranium mine, about 660 kilometres north of Saskatoon.  

Cameco spokesperson, Rob Gereghty told CBC News that a contractor at the mine was mauled by an unprovoked wolf while taking his lunch break outside.

• Wolf attacks Saskatchewan man
• Ontario man killed in wolf attack, coroner's jury finds

"The injured contractor received immediate medical attention from a security guard who interrupted the attack and scared the lone wolf away," Gereghty said.

"He wasn't more than about 50 to 60 metres away from our main campsite."

Gereghty said the man was airlifted from the mine to a Saskatoon hospital where he is expected to make a full recovery.

Meanwhile, security and employees on site have been put on alert and a walking ban is in place.

"All personnel at our Cigar Lake site will use vehicles to get around until further notice."

According to Gereghty, this is the first time anything like this has happened at the Cigar Lake mine. He said conservation officers are currently at the mine dealing with the situation.

"We do our best to work in harmony with environment and the wildlife," he said. "So this was very unfortunate that this interaction took place."

He said the company takes a number of steps to mitigate wildlife interactions such as educating the staff of potential risks and making sure that food is properly disposed of.