The two-year-old male called Neukgu was captured at 12.44am near a highway interchange in Daejeon, according to the city government.<\/p>\n
Authorities used a tranquiliser gun under veterinary supervision to subdue the wolf<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have safely moved him to O-World,\u201d an official involved in the search told Yonhap. \u201cHe\u2019s well so far and we are monitoring him until he wakes up from anaesthesia.\u201d<\/p>\n Neukgu escaped on 8 April from Daejeon O-World by digging under a fence. His escape triggered a multi-agency search involving roughly 300 personnel and led to the closure of a nearby elementary school nearby.<\/p>\n The wolf had been spotted several times in the days following its escape but repeatedly eluded capture. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that Neukgu first slipped out of view on 9 April during a drone battery replacement and evaded search teams again on Tuesday after jumping over a four-metre retaining wall and passing through a capture net.<\/p>\n The search had been complicated by over 100 false sightings, some linked to doctored or AI-generated images.<\/p>\n The final operation started after authorities received a tip-off at around 5.30pm on Thursday that the wolf had been seen near a city park. A suspected sighting at around 9.54pm turned out to be a badger, delaying efforts, before Neukgu was located near the interchange at approximately 11.45pm. <\/p>\n Search teams began preparing anaesthesia shortly after midnight, fired a tranquiliser dart at 12.39am, and completed the capture five minutes later.<\/p>\n After his recapture, Neukgu was taken back to the zoo, where veterinary checks confirmed that his pulse and body temperature were within normal ranges. Veterinarians also removed a fishing hook from the wolf\u2019s stomach during the examination, according to Reuters. <\/p>\n The zoo and adjacent theme park had been closed following Neukgu\u2019s escape and would take time to reopen.<\/p>\n After the wolf\u2019s return, Daejeon mayor Lee Jang Woo confirmed that Neukgu had \u201cfinally returned safely\u201d at dawn, and thanked residents and officials involved in the search. <\/p>\n He apologised for public anxiety and said the city would \u201cprepare measures for animal welfare and public safety\u201d as it moved to reorganise O-World. <\/p>\n The wolf\u2019s escape had drawn national attention. \u201cI hope no human casualties occur and I pray Neukgu also returns home safely,\u201d South Korean president Lee Jae Myung<\/a> wrote last week on X. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776524841_932_download.jpg\")
A veterinarian examines the condition of Neukgu after its capture (AP)<\/p>\n![\"Veterinary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776524842_402_download-1.jpg\")
Veterinary checks confirmed that Neukgu\u2019s pulse and body temperature were within normal ranges (AP)<\/p>\n