The hunt for a wolf that escaped from a zoo in South Korea has so far been unsuccessful, despite mobilizing over 300 personnel amid viral social media attention, meme coins, and concerns over animal welfare.
South Korean authorities have yet to capture "Neukgu," a two-year-old wolf that fled from O-World Zoo in the city of Taejon more than a week ago. Neukgu escaped by digging under the fence and slipping out of the zoo.
The search operation has been continuously escalated, with over 300 officers including police, firefighters, and military personnel involved, employing advanced equipment such as drones and thermal imaging cameras.
However, despite multiple reported sightings, officials have been unable to apprehend the wolf in time.
A critical moment came just one day after the escape when a drone detected Neukgu's heat signature near the zoo, but the wolf vanished without a trace during a battery change.
Later reports placed Neukgu about 2 kilometers away in the mountains, accompanied by a video showing the wolf running along a road at night. Yet when officials investigated, the wolf was not found.
The search for Neukgu has drawn close public attention, with many citizen reports—some cases were mistaken sightings of dogs thought to be wolves.
Additionally, widely shared images claiming to show Neukgu roaming the city were later revealed to be AI-generated, causing officials to expand search areas unnecessarily.
This incident has reminded many of a 2018 case when a puma named "Porongi" escaped from the same zoo and was subsequently shot dead.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed hope that Neukgu could be captured without harm and that no tragic repeat would occur.
Meanwhile, animal rights group Animal Freedom Solidarity criticized the incident as a clear reflection of poor management and security at animal facilities.
Neukgu is part of a Korean wolf restoration project; Korean wolves are extinct in the wild and Neukgu was raised by humans.
Experts worry that the wolf may lack natural hunting and survival skills, noting that its last reported meal before escaping was just two chickens.
Meanwhile, O-World Zoo has temporarily closed and is attempting to attract Neukgu back by playing recorded wolf howls.
. Source:BBC
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