Tranquilizer Dart Fired, but Neukgu Leaps Over 2m Wall and Remains Energetic: "Still Has Stamina"

Six days after escaping from Daejeon O-World, the wolf "Neukgu" was found again but managed to slip through the containment efforts and disappeared once more. Authorities are continuing their search, and Neukgu was confirmed to be in good health when briefly spotted.

According to a Yonhap News report on the 14th, Neukgu showed remarkable agility when escaping the containment net. He swiftly climbed a tiered retaining wall beside the highway, which reaches a height of 4 meters, and during his last escape, he even leapt over a 2-meter-high retaining wall. Previously, search authorities fired a tranquilizer dart in an attempt to subdue him, but it missed its target.

The wolf "Neukgu," who had been missing for a while after escaping from Daejeon O-World, was spotted around 10:43 PM on the 13th in a nearby mountain hill near O-World. Photo by Yonhap News.

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One official explained to the media, "Neukgu entered the containment area and we actually fired a tranquilizer dart, but it missed. On another occasion, he came close, but passed by so quickly that we were unable to fire."

Despite it being the sixth day since Neukgu escaped from O-World, he appears not to have lost his vigor. In this regard, Choi Hyunmyung, a professor in the Department of Animal Health and Welfare at Cheongju University, told the media, "His stamina must have been greatly depleted, but he ran away vigorously. He likely drank water as needed and found animal carcasses to feed himself. While he has probably lost weight, I believe he still has energy left."

The search authorities plan to continue using drones to search the area where Neukgu was last spotted. During the day, additional personnel will be deployed to prevent Neukgu from escaping to other areas, and at night, drones will be used for the search.

Previously, according to the Daejeon Fire Headquarters, search authorities received a report around 10:43 PM the previous day that Neukgu had been sighted in a mountain area near O-World. Authorities confirmed on site that the animal was indeed Neukgu and began capture operations. Firefighters, police, and animal-related agencies mobilized equipment including tranquilizer darts, but all capture attempts, which continued until 6:00 AM the following morning, ended in failure.

Meanwhile, Neukgu escaped from O-World by digging under the safari fence at around 9:18 AM on the 8th. Although the search began immediately after his escape, he remained elusive. As the search has become prolonged, authorities are now operating about 10 drones within a 6-kilometer radius of O-World in their continued efforts to locate him.

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