For nine straight days, the entire South Korean public held its breath, following every update on the adventure of a young gray wolf that slipped away from a municipal zoo. That tension turned into widespread national celebration across South Korean social media Friday, after search teams confirmed they had safely captured 2-year-old male wolf Neukgu, ending a high-stakes manhunt that turned the fugitive animal into an unexpected national celebrity. Neukgu had burrowed out of his enclosure at Daejeon’s O-World Zoo on April 8, prompting a massive multi-agency search that quickly became a nationwide talking point. The escape sparked urgent concern from the public and animal welfare advocates alike: observers worried the young wolf, born and raised in human care, would not be able to survive the wild terrain surrounding the zoo, and many recalled a 2018 incident where a puma that escaped the same facility was killed during capture operations. The outpouring of public anxiety even reached the highest levels of government, prompting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to publicly address the nation, confirming that police, fire services, and military personnel were all coordinating their efforts to bring Neukgu back alive. Search teams came close to capturing the wolf earlier this week, after spotters located him on a wooded mountain just a few kilometers from the zoo. But Neukgu managed to slip past the containment perimeter rescuers had set up, extending his time on the run. The wolf’s journey was briefly captured by a passing motorist, who filmed Neukgu trotting along a dark mountain highway, illuminated by the driver’s headlights, and shared the footage that spread widely across social platforms. Early Friday, a coordinated search effort using thermal drones, canine units, and dozens of personnel from law enforcement, emergency services, and veterinary teams finally located Neukgu on a wooded hill adjacent to a major urban expressway. Teams moved in to sedate the young wolf, and transported him back to the Daejeon zoo immediately. Initial medical assessments found Neukgu in stable overall condition. The only major medical issue veterinarians discovered was a discarded fishing hook lodged in the wolf’s stomach, which was successfully removed via endoscopic procedure, with no other serious injuries or health complications reported. Daejeon municipal authorities released behind-the-scenes footage of the capture and recovery process on social media, showing search crews moving the sedated wolf from a roadside ditch into a transport carrier, followed by Neukgu undergoing full medical checks at the zoo’s veterinary clinic. Within hours of the safe capture announcement, South Korean social platforms were flooded with thousands of celebratory posts from members of the public. Common messages included relieved greetings like “Welcome home, Neukgu” and playful warnings that “the outside world is way too dangerous for you.” Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo issued a public statement of his own on Facebook, expressing his sincere gratitude to residents of Daejeon and people across the entire country for their patience and support throughout the nine-day search that ended in a happy outcome. A quick look at Neukgu’s background explains why the young wolf holds such significant conservation value: Neukgu was born at O-World Zoo in 2024, and is a third-generation descendant of a group of wolves brought to South Korea from Russia in 2008. The import was part of a long-running national conservation project to reestablish a population of Korean gray wolves, a subspecies that was completely extirpated from the Korean wild by the 1960s. O-World Zoo director Lee Kwan Jong told reporters that Neukgu will be held in a separate, dedicated enclosure away from the zoo’s other animals while he completes his recovery and stabilizes after his nine-day ordeal. The zoo, which has faced repeated public criticism for a string of recent animal escape incidents, shut its doors to the public immediately after Neukgu’s escape, and has not yet announced a timeline for reopening. Zoo management is currently conducting a full review of all perimeter security measures across the facility, and Lee Kwan Jong emphasized that Neukgu’s full recovery is the institution’s top priority right now. Even amid the security review, zoo officials acknowledge that Neukgu’s newfound national fame is expected to make him the park’s biggest draw when it eventually opens its doors again to visitors.