South Korea's Zoo Wolf Escaped And Kept Outrunning Hundreds Of Officials For 9 Days

Torn zoo fence in Daejeon at dawn with fog, emergency lights, paw print, and broken security camera.

A 2-year-old wolf named Neukgu broke loose from O-World zoo in Daejeon, South Korea. Hundreds of rescue officials were immediately deployed, launching what would become a massive 9-day nationwide search operation.

Korean wolf Neukgu leaping across a wet mountain road at night, headlights illuminating desperate pursuit.

Authorities nearly caught Neukgu when he was spotted on a mountain 2km from the zoo. A viral social media video showed him running on a dark road — but each time, he slipped away.

Digital billboard and phone screens display viral wolf image amid cryptocurrency holograms and street shrine.

Neukgu’s escape turned him into a cultural icon. A meme coin was launched in his honor, calling him the “wolf that wouldn’t stay caged” — a symbol of independence capturing public imagination nationwide.

Taxidermied wolf in museum case above zoo office desk with terminated Porongi 2018 file.

Neukgu was part of the Korean wolf restoration programme — a species now extinct in the wild. Animal rights groups feared he’d be killed, just like Porongi, a puma that escaped the same zoo in 2018.

Presidential hands holding smartphone with wolf news alert against nighttime Seoul cityscape and rain.

National concern reached the highest level — President Lee Jae Myung publicly prayed for Neukgu’s safe return on social media. The wolf’s fate had become a matter of national emotional investment across all of South Korea.

Triptych showing wolf capture, transport crate, and calm veterinary exam under dawn light in Daejeon.

After a tip-off, authorities launched a final search in the Anyeong-dong area on Thursday evening. Neukgu was captured near an expressway at 00:44 on Friday — a medical check confirmed his pulse and temperature were normal.