Canada conservation officers seek runaway wolf days after zoo break-in
Conservation officers in Canada are searching for a runaway wolf three days after a mysterious break-in freed a pack of the predators from a popular zoo.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo announced on Tuesday morning it would not open to crowds that day, and later acknowledged that a pack of grey wolves had escaped after “suspicious” damage to the fence of their enclosure. The zoo said the incident was probably the result of “malicious intent”.
“Most wolves are back in the care of our animal health and welfare team. [Zoo] staff continue to actively search for small number of remaining wolves un-accounted for,” the zoo said in a statement on Tuesday.
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But on Thursday morning, minutes before it was scheduled to reopen, the zoo announced it would remain closed for a third day as the search continued for the missing wolf.
First opened in 1970, the popular tourist attraction has nine adult grey wolves and six pups. Staff did not confirm how many had initially escaped after the fence was broken, nor did it say how many remained unaccounted for.
On Wednesday, the province’s environment minister said one wolf was still at large as conservation officers worked alongside zoo staff to track it down.
The RCMP is investigating the break-in, but a lack of surveillance footage has made it difficult to identify any suspects.
“I can just tell you that there was damage done to the enclosure to allow the wolves to exit. At this point, there’s no surveillance, so we don’t have any information to indicate how they got in or suspect information,” said Cpl Holly Largy of Langley RCMP.
The zoo stressed that there was no danger to the public, but asked anyone who sees a wolf in the area to contact authorities.
Located outside of Vancouver, the zoo spans 120 acres in the Fraser Valley and is close to a large forested area that contains a naval radio communications facility.
The zoo has been the focus among animal rights activists in recent years following two attacks: one on a young girl, who was bitten by a black bear, and another on a staff member attacked by a jaguar.
In 2019, the Vancouver Humane Society released a report criticizing the zoo. In 2020, the owners of the zoo spent millions on a “major overhaul” of the facility.
The apparent act of vandalism also comes as the plight of wolves, which once thrived in the region, comes under criticism by activists. Earlier this year, the province extended its aerial wolf cull for another five years, a controversial program that kills as many as 300 wolves a year in an effort to save ailing woodland caribou.
