Young male was hit on highway east of Sudbury and got initial treatment at Turtle Pond<\/p>\n
Published Feb 02, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 2\u00a0days ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
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Vimy the wolf returns in a crate to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary after getting surgery last week for fractures to both of his hind legs. The wolf was struck on Highway 17 east of Sudbury. Photo by Mon KledsaiArticle content<\/p>\n
A young wolf struck on Highway 17 in Hagar is now recuperating from surgery at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Muskoka.<\/p>\n
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The animal was named Vimy, at the request of Blake, a member of the armed forces who went out of his way to help after colliding with the wolf on the frigid night of Jan. 24.<\/p>\n
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Vimy, who turns out to be male, suffered \u201ctwo femoral fractures on both of his hind legs, and he got some lacerations as well,\u201d said Mon Kledsai, assistant director of animal welfare at Aspen Valley.<\/p>\n
An orthopedic surgeon with the National Wildlife Centre in Caledon operated on Vimy this past Wednesday, attaching \u201cexternal pins to stabilize and hold the leg together until the bone heals,\u201d said Kledsai.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said an infection was also unfortunately detected in one of Vimy\u2019s legs so the animal is getting antibiotics for that, as well medication for pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cHis prognosis is still very guarded due to the infection, but we are positive as long as he keeps eating and showing improvement,\u201d said Kledsai on Friday. \u201cHe\u2019s been eating and drinking well and he\u2019s still bright and alert today.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Vimy is being kept in a small indoor room at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Rosseau as he recovers from injuries sustained in a collision near Sudbury. Photo by Mon Kledsai<\/p>\n
Vimy is not yet able to put weight on his hind legs and is being kept in a private indoor space at Aspen Valley so he can rest and recover without too much stimulation.<\/p>\n
Kledsai said staff just go \u201cin and out\u201d to provide food and medication, or change his bandages, \u201cso we don\u2019t cause too much stress on him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vimy is not the only wolf at Aspen Valley; the centre also accommodates a pack of six grey wolves, a mom and five offspring, that came to them from a zoo and now inhabit an outdoor enclosure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might hear them howling from time to time, but there is no interaction between them,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are in the sanctuary part and he is in a small room to minimize his movement at the moment, so he can heal faster. And if the environment is quiet it helps to destress him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kledsai said Vimy is one to two years old, at most, judging by his teeth and genital development. As for what type of wolf he is, that\u2019s a bit trickier to determine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to identify what kind of canid he is because there are so many hybridizations among the canid population in Ontario,\u201d she said. \u201cHe could be an eastern wolf, a grey wolf, or he could even have some coyote in him. We can\u2019t actually tell until we do a DNA test, but according to his size, he has some wolf in him for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff weighed him at close to 60 pounds, which for that age makes him bigger than a typical coyote.<\/p>\n
After being struck on the highway the animal crawled through the snow to what Gloria Morissette of the Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre described as an \u201cindustrial garage nearby, with cars buried in the snow,\u201d and found his way under one of those vehicles.<\/p>\n
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Blake, who felt bad about hitting the wolf, followed his tracks, established his whereabouts and called the OPP, who in turn contacted Turtle Pond. Together they were able to fish Vimy out from under his hiding place, with help from a catch pole, and get him to the Blezard Valley rehab facility, where he spent one night before going to the Muskoka centre.<\/p>\n
Kledsai said Blake and his wife, who live in the Muskoka area, have been checking in to see how the wolf is doing post-surgery, and praised the military man for the effort he made.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey really care about him,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a lot of people who hit an animal and then actually try to help it and make sure that it is OK, so we really appreciate that. Whether it\u2019s a wolf or something else, if you take some responsibility for the animal you hurt, it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kledsai said it\u2019s far too early to say whether Vimy will recover to the point he can run free again in the woods, but at least it remains a possibility, and in the meantime he is warm, fed and cared for.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a long journey for him,\u201d she said. \u201cWe evaluate day by day. One step at at time. It could be a successful story, or it may not, we never know. But we do everything we can to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aspen Valley relies on donations to provide the rehabilitation and refuge services it provides for wildlife.<\/p>\n
Contributions to the care of Vimy and other animals can be made by visiting www.aspenvalley.ca\/ways-to-donate<\/a>.<\/p>\n