Hairy moments as escaped wolf returned to zoo in South Korea

South Koreans are celebrating after a two-year-old wolf that escaped from a zoo was captured safely after a nine-day search that kept the nation on edge.

The male wolf, named Neukgu, burrowed out of his enclosure at the O-World zoo in Daejeon on April 8, prompting a search that gripped the nation and raised fears about his safety – and also made him something of a celebrity.

Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried it might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same zoo in 2018.

Intense national concern even prompted South Korean president Lee Jae Myung to make a statement reassuring the public that police, fire officials and the military were doing their best to capture the wolf alive.

At one point, authorities nearly captured Neukgu after spotting him on a mountain near the zoo earlier this week, but the animal broke away from a perimeter set by rescue workers.

A driver also spotted the wolf and shared a video of him trotting along a dark mountain road, lit by the headlights of the vehicle trailing behind.

Neukgu was finally found and tranquillized on a hill near an expressway early on Friday, after an hours-long search involving drones, police and emergency workers and veterinarians, according to city and zoo officials.

The animal was in stable condition after being taken back to the zoo, where veterinarians used a scope to remove a fishing hook from his stomach, but found no other significant health issues.

Daejeon officials released social media videos showing rescuers pulling the limp wolf from a ditch and placing it in a carrier, and the animal undergoing medical examinations at the zoo.

Social media was flooded with celebratory posts, including messages like “welcome back” and “Neukgu, it’s dangerous outside the house”.

In a Facebook post, Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo expressed his “deepest gratitude to citizens of Daejeon and also the entire nation for your support in ensuring Neukgu’s safe return.”

Born at the zoo in 2024, Neukgu is a third-generation descendent of a group of wolves brought from Russia in 2008 as part of a project to reintroduce wolves resembling those that lived in the Korean wild before going extinct in the 1960s.

Lee Kwan Jong, director of O-World, said Neukgu will be kept in a separate area from other animals and receive care until he has fully recovered and stabilised.

The zoo’s management, which has been criticised over a series of animal escapes, closed the facility following Neukgu’s escape and says it has not decided when it will reopen.

Lee Kwan Jong said the zoo, which is reviewing its security measures, will prioritise Neukgu’s recovery.

The wolf is expected to be a huge attraction when the zoo reopens.