NAIN, Newfoundland (AP) - Two schools were closed for a third straight day Thursday in a remote community of northeast Canada after wolf attacks on town dogs prompted fears that rabies may be causing the wolves to behave strangely.

Normally nocturnal and wary of contact with humans, wolves that are common to the Labrador coastal region have been seen in and around Nain, a town of 1,300 residents.

``These wolves are coming right into the community and are being viewed as a threat,'' said Robert Otto, a senior wildlife biologist with Newfoundland's Department of Forest Resources.

One wolf was shot and killed near one of the two schools Monday night. The carcass was to be tested for rabies.

Ten dogs have been attacked by wolves in recent weeks, with two dogs being killed.

Wildlife officers used a helicopter Wednesday to set traps to catch the wolves. Parents have been advised to keep their children inside at night.

While Canada's wolf population numbers about 50,000, wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare.

NAIN, Newfoundland (AP) - A helicopter was brought in Wednesday to search for wolves that have attacked dogs and terrorized residents in Labrador's most northerly community since Sunday.

The two schools in Nain were closed for a second day as provincial wildlife officers set up snares in the snow-covered hills around the coastal community, which is home to 1,300 mainly Inuit residents.

``These wolves are coming right into the community and are being viewed as a threat,'' said Robert Otto, a senior wildlife biologist with Newfoundland's Department of Forest Resources.

One wolf was shot and killed near one of the schools Monday night. The carcass was sent to a lab in St. John's, Newfoundland, to be tested for rabies.

``The wolf that was shot appears healthy,'' said RCMP Sgt. Kevin Baillie. ``It doesn't appear to be a skinny animal that was starving. It's hard to say what's bringing them into town.''

Wolves are common in coastal Labrador, especially when caribou herds are on the move. But they normally avoid populated areas.

Though centuries of folklore have given the wolf a bad name, only animals with rabies have been known to attack humans, and those instances are extremely rare.

So far, the wolves have attacked 10 dogs in the community. One dog was killed Sunday and another had to be destroyed because it was badly mauled.