Finally Found After Six Days... Authorities Lose Track of Neukgu the Wolf Again

Surrounded in Musudong Hills but Failed to Capture
Location Confirmed Again... Search Expanded with More Personnel

Screenshot of Instagram video from the person who reported the discovery of Neukgu

Neukgu, the wolf that escaped from the Daejeon O World Safari and had been missing for six days, was spotted in a nearby wooded area. Authorities began a full-scale capture operation, but the animal managed to escape once again.

According to the Daejeon Fire Headquarters, at around 10:43 p.m. on April 13, a report was received via the emergency number 119 stating that Neukgu had been seen in a wooded area near O World. Search authorities verified the scene and confirmed that the animal in question was indeed Neukgu, the escaped wolf. It was reported that the location where Neukgu was found was about 1.8 kilometers from O World.

Firefighters, police, and animal-related agencies were immediately dispatched to the site and deployed equipment such as tranquilizer guns. However, given the difficulty of securing visibility at night, they chose not to attempt a risky capture. Instead, they maintained a safe distance and kept the animal under observation.

The capture net was breached... The search continues

Then, at around 6 a.m. on April 14, authorities attempted to capture Neukgu using tranquilizer guns and capture nets. However, before the net could close in, Neukgu quickly ran off, so they were unable to fire the tranquilizer gun or proceed with the capture attempt.

Nonetheless, the search authorities have once again located Neukgu using drones and are continuing the pursuit. Currently, more than 60 police officers and search personnel have formed a human chain and are surrounding the area with another capture net.

On the morning of the 8th, this is the image of the wolf named "Neukgu" that escaped from Daejeon O World Safari. Photo by Yonhap News

Wolf’s own ‘Shawshank Redemption’... Difficulties in the search

At around 9:18 a.m. on April 8, Neukgu escaped from Daejeon O World Safari by digging under the wire fence. Although the search began immediately after the escape, Neukgu rarely revealed himself.

The last confirmed sighting was at around 1:30 a.m. on April 9, the day after the escape. At that time, Neukgu was captured on a thermal imaging camera in a wooded area near O World, but after being lost during a drone operation, his whereabouts remained unknown.

The search has since been prolonged. Authorities focused their efforts within a 6-kilometer radius of O World, deploying approximately 10 drones, and also investigated tracks and droppings, but were unable to find any significant clues. It was also confirmed that Neukgu did not approach the bait placed in the capture traps.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.