Runaway wolf pup located safely after mysterious break-in freed them in Canadian zoo
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At a Canadian zoo, feelings are mixed after one wolf pup that escaped after four days was found safely, but another was discovered dead by a road.
Following a strange break-in that released a group of predators from the well-known zoo, conservation officers and zoo personnel in Canada have been searching for a runaway wolf for the past four days.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo announced in a statement on Friday that Tempest, a one-year-old grey wolf, had been discovered and was "back with her family." The statement claimed that she had been found close to the zoo. However, the news was released a day after the zoo reported that Chia, another runaway wolf, had passed away, most likely after being struck by a car.
The zoo added in a statement, "We are so grateful for this positive outcome for Tempest but are still processing the loss of Chia. We are hoping to eventually reopen on Saturday."
On Tuesday morning, the zoo made the announcement that it will be closed to visitors. After "suspicious" damage to the enclosure's fence, it eventually admitted that a group of grey wolves had fled. The incident, according to the zoo, was presumably the product of "malicious intent."
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The 120-acre Fraser Valley zoo, which is located outside of Vancouver, is next to a sizable forested region that houses a navy radio communications complex.
Following two attacks—one on a kid who was bit by a black bear and another on a staff member who was attacked by a jaguar—animal rights activists have recently turned their attention to the zoo.
The Vancouver Humane Society published a report in 2019 that criticised the zoo. The zoo's owners invested millions in the building's "major overhaul" in 2020.
The alleged act of vandalism occurs as activists raise awareness of the condition of wolves, which were once common in the area. The province's airborne wolf cull was extended this year for an additional five years. As many as 300 wolves may be killed annually by the contentious programme in an effort to conserve woodland caribou.
(with inputs from agencies)