Elusive wolf that captivated a nation caught after nine days on the run

Minwoo Park And Joyce Lee

April 17, 2026 — 15:19

seoul: A wolf that escaped from a zoo in Daejeon, South Korea, was recaptured after escaping for nine days; This brought an end to a saga that forced the closure of a primary school, uncovered a meme coin and involved a search party of more than 100 people.

After a series of sightings following his escape and evading previous capture attempts, the two-year-old male wolf named Neukgu was recaptured on Friday by a tranquilizer-gun-wielding search party operated by a veterinarian.

The wolf was previously spotted near a highway intersection about four kilometers from the zoo on Thursday, according to a zoo official.

The wolf reportedly escaped for nine days after reportedly slipping under a fence.

Neukgu was taken back to O-World zoo and underwent a health check, the official said. He said the wolf’s vital signs were normal, although veterinarians found and removed a fish hook from the wolf’s stomach.

The zoo and associated theme park were closed after the wolf’s escape and it will take some time to reopen, the official said.

Daejeon mayor Lee Jang-woo welcomed the wolf’s safe return and thanked the search team, pledging to “prepare measures for animal welfare and civil security during the relocation process” in a Facebook post. [the zoo]“.

The zoo came under criticism from animal rights activists who called for better animal protection measures after the wolf’s return, stating that a cougar named Bborong escaped from the same facility in 2018, AFP reported.

Puma was reportedly shot dead after escaping.

Neukgu’s escape from Daejeon, about 170 kilometers south of Seoul, attracted national attention. South Korea’s online message boards were filled with news of the recapture. Some posters called Neukgu an “honorary ambassador of the zoo” and promised to visit him when the zoo reopened.

Neukgu escaped from the zoo last week by crawling under a fence, a zoo official said at the time.

A nearby primary school was closed as a precaution while more than 100 staff searched for the animal in an operation that included drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras.