Neukgu escaped from its enclosure at O-World zoo around 9:15 AM on Wednesday by digging under a fence, and was discovered missing during a pre-opening inspection, with CCTV later confirming the escape. Authorities launched a search the same morning and deployed more than 300 personnel. Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras were brought in for the search, but an official from the Daejeon fire headquarters said they had to pull them back due to the ongoing rain. In the first 24 hours, Neukgu was detected multiple times in wooded hills near the zoo, including a confirmed sighting at about 1:30 AM on Thursday captured on thermal imaging cameras, according to Chosun Biz. Authorities divided the surrounding area into five sectors, formed human perimeters, and installed traps and baited cages.
The search has been complicated by worsening weather and a flood of inaccurate reports. Rain and fog limited visibility and disrupted aerial searches. More than 100 sightings reported to police and fire authorities were later found to be false or based on doctored or AI-generated images. One reported sighting roughly 23 km away in Cheongju prompted an hour-long search that found no trace. Fire authorities stated they plan to dispatch teams only after confirmation by veterinarians and experts due to many unverified reports.
Wolves are pack animals, so it will likely try to return to its group. If chased too aggressively, it may perceive it as a threat and go further into hiding out of fear.
Officials now believe the wolf remains in the wooded hills around O-World, particularly near Mount Bomun, guided by its homing instinct. Authorities have said the wolf may be hiding in a self-dug burrow, as it had previously shown similar behavior while inside its enclosure. The zoo has broadcast recorded howls from the wolf's pack and replayed routine visitor announcements the animal had heard since birth in an attempt to lure it back, according to The Korea Herald. Search teams have shifted tactics and have begun placing traps and waiting for the animal to return rather than pursuing it. Experts described that wolves are pack animals, so it will likely try to return to its group, and if chased too aggressively, it may perceive it as a threat and go further into hiding out of fear, as reported by The Independent - Main.
Neukgu was born in January 2024 and weighs between 30 kg and 35 kg. He is part of a programme to restore the Korean wolf, a subspecies classified as a Class I endangered species and considered functionally extinct in the wild in South Korea, as reported by Korea JoongAng Daily. Korean wolves were reintroduced using wolves imported from Russia in 2008, after the last known wild wolf on the peninsula died in 1997, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
Concerns have grown over Neukgu's condition, and officials have said he last ate two chickens just before the escape. The current health and physical condition of Neukgu the wolf is unknown, as is the exact timeline of confirmed sightings since the initial 24-hour period. It remains unclear what specific security measures were in place at the O-World zoo enclosure that allowed the wolf to escape, how many traps and baited cages have been installed and whether any have been triggered, and what contingency plans are in place if the wolf is not recaptured soon, such as risks to public safety or wildlife.