The wild wolf puppy from the Ketchum area is on his way to a new home in Virginia. The pup was taken from the wild last month by out-of-town campers who thought it was a domestic dog. The underweight and frightened animal ended up at Zoo Boise for care and treatment.
When it was confirmed last week that the pup was a full-blooded wolf, Fish and Game had to decide what to do with him. Liz Littman with Zoo Boise says the wolf could not stay there. “Zoo Boise doesn’t currently have a wolf pack, it’s not in our Master Plan, we don’t really have the facilities," says Littman, "and we want to make sure this animal can grow up amongst others of its kind because that’s how wolves would live in the wild so that’s really what’s best for the animal.”
The Zoo came up with a list of facilities that would take the puppy. This morning, the pup left Boise to head to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. “They already have an existing wolf pack there and they’ve been caring for wolves for about 12 years," says Littman. "They actually have two other six week old pups that they’re caring for currently, so I think it will be a very good fit for him.”
Busch Gardens has nine wolves all together.
Fish and Game says the puppy was likely separated from its pack when the campers picked it up near Ketchum. The Department searched the area but could not find signs of other wolves. Fish and Game reminds campers to leave young animals in the wild alone.
Copyright 2012 Boise State Public Radio
