A two-year-old wolf named Neukgu was safely captured Friday morning after a nine-day search that captivated South Korea and prompted intervention from the country's president.
The male wolf escaped from O-World zoo in Daejeon on April 8 by burrowing under his enclosure fence. What began as a local zoo incident quickly escalated into a national drama that mobilized police, military personnel, emergency workers, and veterinarians across the region.
Neukgu was finally located on a hill near an expressway early Friday morning. Rescue teams used drones and coordinated ground searches before successfully tranquilizing the animal. Video footage released by Daejeon officials showed rescuers lifting the sedated wolf from a ditch and placing him in a transport carrier.
Ik hoop dat niemand gewond raakt en ik bid dat Neukgu veilig thuiskomt
Lee Jae-myun, South Korean President — NOS Nieuws
The search proved more challenging than initially expected. Early attempts nearly succeeded when authorities spotted Neukgu on a mountain near the zoo, but he escaped a perimeter established by rescue workers. In another incident, sixty police officers attempted to encircle the wolf, only to watch him leap over a three-meter wall and disappear again.
The Guardian frames this as a human interest story emphasizing public relief and successful rescue efforts, while contextualizing it within broader animal welfare concerns. Their perspective highlights the contrast between this successful capture and the 2018 puma killing, positioning the story as a redemptive moment for South Korean wildlife management.