Citizens who helped locate wolf among honorees
The Daejeon Metropolitan Government on Tuesday awarded commendations to 15 people for their roles in safely capturing Neukgu, a young wolf that escaped from Daejeon O World earlier this month, including a citizen whose voluntary tracking efforts proved crucial in locating the animal.
The citizen, 27-year-old Kang Jun-su, encountered the wolf on the night of April 14 while driving near wooded areas near the zoo in search of it. Footage he recorded helped authorities track down the animal during the dayslong search.
Also honored was a Daejeon resident in her 60s who spotted Neukgu while walking with her husband along a mountain trail in Chimsan-dong, Jung-gu, on April 16. The couple alerted authorities twice, at 5:40 p.m. and again at 6:18 p.m.
Fire officials said the couple’s report played a decisive role in the capture hours later. “Thanks to their tip, we were able to narrow the search area and successfully capture the animal at 12:44 a.m. the following day,” an official said.
The city also recognized public officials and experts involved in the operation, including Choi Jin-ho, executive director of the Korea Wildlife Management Association, who joined the search from its early stages, as well as three association members who supported drone efforts. Two officials from the National Institute of Ecology, including a veterinarian who assisted with the use of a tranquilizer gun, were also commended.
Neukgu escaped from a zoo enclosure at Daejeon O World on April 8 after digging under the lower part of a wire fence. After wandering for about nine days, the wolf was safely captured with a tranquilizer on April 17 near an expressway in Daejeon, just 1.9 kilometers from the zoo.
After the capture, Daejeon O World shared updates on Neukgu’s health condition through its official social media account, saying the wolf was resting and recovering.
“The safe capture of Neukgu was made possible by public interest and cooperation, as well as joint efforts by private experts, firefighters, police, military personnel and administrative officials,” said Baek Gye-kyung, head of the city’s environmental policy division. “I sincerely thank everyone who worked hard at the scene.”
Daejeon O World is currently closed after receiving an order from the Geumgang River Basin Environmental Office to suspend operations for one month from April 20. The zoo said it decided to temporarily close in order to conduct safety inspections across the facility and prepare measures to prevent a similar incident.
ylee221@heraldcorp.com
