{"id":612437,"date":"2026-04-17T07:20:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/612437\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T07:20:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:20:11","slug":"elusive-wolf-that-captivated-a-nation-caught-after-nine-days-on-the-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/612437\/","title":{"rendered":"Elusive wolf that captivated a nation caught after nine days on the run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minwoo Park and Joyce Lee<\/p>\n

April 17, 2026 \u2014 3:19pm<\/p>\n

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Seoul: A wolf that escaped from a zoo in the South Korean city of Daejeon has been recaptured after being on the run for nine days, bringing to an end a saga that forced an elementary school to close, spawned a meme coin and involved a search party of more than 100 people.<\/p>\n

After a number of sightings following the escape and evading earlier capture attempts, the two-year-old male wolf, named Neukgu, was recaptured on Friday by a search team using a tranquiliser gun operated by a veterinarian.<\/p>\n

The wolf had earlier been spotted near a highway interchange about four kilometres from the zoo on Thursday, according to a zoo official.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe wolf was on the run for nine days after reportedly slipping under a fence. <\/p>\n

Neukgu was taken back to the O-World zoo and was undergoing a health check, the official said. He said the wolf\u2019s vital signs were normal, though vets had found and removed a fishing hook from its stomach.<\/p>\n

The zoo and an associated theme park were closed after the wolf\u2019s escape and would take some time to reopen, the official said.<\/p>\n

Daejeon mayor Lee Jang-woo welcomed the wolf\u2019s safe return and thanked the search party, pledging in a Facebook post to \u201cprepare measures for animal welfare and civil safety in the process of reorganising [the zoo]\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The zoo has been subject to criticism from animal rights activists, who have called for better animal protection measures after the wolf\u2019s return, noting the 2018 escape of a puma, named Bborong, from the same facility, the AFP reported.<\/p>\n

The puma was reportedly shot dead after its escape.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Neukgu\u2019s escape in Daejeon, about 170 kilometres south of Seoul, had captured the nation\u2019s attention. South Korean online message boards were abuzz with news of the recapture. Some posters called Neukgu an \u201chonorary ambassador for the zoo\u201d and vowed to visit him once it reopened.<\/p>\n

Neukgu appeared to have slipped out of the zoo last week by burrowing under a fence, a zoo official said at the time.<\/p>\n

A nearby elementary school was closed as a precaution, while more \u2060than 100 personnel \u200bsearched for the animal, in an effort that included drones \u200bequipped with thermal imaging cameras.<\/p>\n

\"VetsVets examine the condition of the wolf after it was recaptured.AFP<\/p>\n

The episode spawned a cryptocurrency meme coin named Neukgu, which appeared on \u200bdecentralised cryptocurrency exchanges a week ago.<\/p>\n

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung weighed in on the social media platform X last week, urging authorities to \u200bensure a safe outcome.<\/p>\n

Born in \u200b2024, \u2060Neukgu is part of a program to restore the Korean wolf, a species considered extinct in the wild.<\/p>\n

Reuters <\/p>\n

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