Wolf Recaptured After Search That Gripped South Korea

UPDATE Apr 17, 2026 7:05 AM CDT

A wolf that became a celebrity after his escape from a zoo in South Korea has been recaptured alive after a nine-day search that captured the nation's attention. Officials in Daejeon say Neukgu, a 2-year-old male, was found and sedated near an expressway early Friday, the BBC reports. President Lee Jae Myung had promised that authorities would do their best to ensure the wolf was captured alive. Veterinarians said they removed a fish hook from Neukgu's stomach but found no other health issues. The O-World zoo, criticized after the latest in a series of escapes, has been temporarily closed but Neukgu is expected to be a huge attraction when it reopens, reports the AP.

Apr 10, 2026 10:18 AM CDT

South Korea is tracking an unlikely celebrity: a missing zoo wolf that has triggered everything from school closures to a meme coin. The 2-year-old male, named Neukgu, slipped out of Daejeon's O-World zoo on Wednesday, apparently by digging under a fence, and has been on the run for three days, reports NBC News. Authorities shut a nearby elementary school and dispatched more than 100 personnel—firefighters, police, and military—along with drones using thermal cameras to find the 77-pound animal.

The saga has moved well beyond public-safety alerts, with the AFP noting that animal rights activists are getting involved. "The presence of hunters means the possibility of the wolf being killed cannot be ruled out, creating a precarious situation," the Animal Freedom Solidarity said in a statement. "Neukgu is the fundamental victim of this incident. The fact that the life of a captive animal may be at stake due to an accident caused by poor management and structural defects at the animal exhibition facility is clearly unjust." President Lee Jae Myung also weighed in on X, saying, "I hope no human casualties occur, and I pray that Neukgu also returns home safely."

Online, an English-language fan community has sprung up, and a "Neukgu" cryptocurrency token has appeared on decentralized exchanges, posting about $140,000 in trading volume over 24 hours. The wolf, born in 2024 as part of a project to reintroduce the Korean wolf, a species believed extinct in the wild, is the latest high-profile escape from a South Korean zoo, following a zebra that roamed central Seoul streets last year.