DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA— A two-year-old male wolf named Neukgu has been safely recaptured and returned to his enclosure at Daejeon’s O-World zoo after spending nine days on the run, ending a dramatic saga that captured national attention in South Korea.
Neukgu escaped from the zoo on April 8 by burrowing under a fence. Despite multiple sightings and an intensive search operation involving over 100 personnel, drones with thermal imaging cameras, and recorded wolf howls played through speakers to lure him, the elusive animal evaded capture for more than a week.
The wolf was finally spotted near a highway interchange about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the zoo on Thursday. In the early hours of Friday (around 12:44 a.m. local time), a search team successfully tranquilised him using a dart gun operated by a veterinarian.
Neukgu was immediately transported back to O-World zoo, where veterinarians conducted initial health checks. His vital signs were reported as normal, although a fishing hook was discovered and removed from his stomach.
The escape prompted precautionary measures, including the temporary closure of a nearby elementary school. The incident also gained significant public interest, spawning an eponymous cryptocurrency meme coin and drawing comments from President Lee Jae-myung, who urged authorities to ensure a safe outcome.
Neukgu is part of a conservation programme aimed at restoring the Korean wolf, a species considered extinct in the wild in South Korea. Following his recapture, online message boards lit up with celebratory posts, with some users jokingly calling him an “honorary ambassador” for the zoo and promising to visit once it reopens.
Daejeon city officials welcomed the wolf back on social media with the message: “Welcome back, #Neukgu!”
The story has been widely covered across South Korean and international media, turning the young wolf into an unexpected national celebrity.
