After nine days on the run, a two-year-old wolf named Neukgu that escaped its enclosure at the O-World theme park in Daejeon, South Korea, was safely captured on April 17 following multiple failed attempts, according to the BBC.
According to a Facebook post by Daejeon city authorities, the wolf is recovering after treatment at a veterinary hospital. It also lost some weight and appeared to have fed on something. Moreover, a fishing hook was discovered and removed via endoscopy. The animal will also be monitored for about a week for infectious diseases.
Authorities also pledged to take measures to prevent similar incidents, including the installation of secondary and tertiary containment barriers.
Neukgu escaped on April 8 and went viral online and offline, inspiring a meme coin and prompting the mobilization of more than 100 firefighters, police officers and military personnel, as well as drones, while South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also expressed hope that there would be no human casualties and for the wolf’s safe return on X.
According to the BBC, Neukgu is part of an O-World program to restore the Korean wolf, now considered extinct in the wild.
