Report of roaming big dog leads warden to loose wolf

[crow_noir]

I feel so bad for this wolf trapped in the middle of human politics. They never mentioned even once that he had been a threat to any humans.



http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs...73264726320216

Report of roaming big dog leads warden to loose wolf





This wolf was tranquilized by Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon and captured in the county's northwest corner.
( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )


Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon knew he was on the tail of a big one yesterday afternoon after neighbors' reports of a large roaming dog brought him and his tranquilizer gun to an old barn in the northwest corner of the county.

He said he spotted the furry creature hiding behind the barn among some farm equipment, but couldn't get close enough to determine what it was exactly.

Mr. Skeldon then took aim and fired a dart, hitting the thing in the back and sending it scurrying out of hiding.

The animal revealed itself as no dog at all.

"When it jumped out in the open, I said 'Whoa, this is a wolf!' " he said.

The brownish-gray wolf was later estimated to weigh about 130 pounds, a size requiring more than one tranquilizer dart to mellow it.

Mr. Skeldon said the wolf, after being hit, stumbled into a nearby field and walked past a pile of bird feathers that he suspects came from either a duck or chicken that the animal had for dinner. At that point, the wolf was near the intersection of Brint and Richfield Center roads.

The warden fired off a second dart, which finally subdued the wolf. He put it on a leash and dragged it into a cage for transport to the county dog pound.

Mr. Skeldon said he has never seen a full-breed wolf in Lucas County. He speculated that the animal may have wandered off a farm where it was kept as a pet.

The wolf was awake last night, and will stay at the pound for three days waiting for someone to claim it. If no one does, its future is less certain, Mr. Skeldon said.

© 2006 The Blade

[areias]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What happened to wildlife sanctuaries? Or releasing into a preservation?! Why would they bring it to the pound?!?! Is anyone else upset by that??

Are there any wildlife sanctuaries, rescue, anything in your area that you can email that link to? Of course no one's going to claim it, they won't pay those fines.

[LilacDragon]

One would have to contact a sanctuary and see if they have the facilities to keep the wolf, room for it, arrange transport, etc. So of course it would go to animal control - the warden certainly isn't going to take it home and keep it in his garage.

[crow_noir]

That's no where near me, but i contacted the only two organizations whom i've had contact with before.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What happened to wildlife sanctuaries? Or releasing into a preservation?! Why would they bring it to the pound?!?! Is anyone else upset by that??

Are there any wildlife sanctuaries, rescue, anything in your area that you can email that link to? Of course no one's going to claim it, they won't pay those fines.

[jackie]

I hope this has a happy ending.

[BC_MoM]

Why, exactly, did they tranquilize a wolf and bring it to the pound? It's a WOLF - it's wildife that should be left alone. Updates on this story would be greatly appreciated!

That warden sounds like a dumb***.

[crow_noir]

I think it fell under domestic animal jurisdiction because it had been displaying signs of being someone's pet. From what i understood it wasn't acting like a wild raised wolf and was hanging around close to residences.

I've been keeping my eyes out for updates too. If anyone else finds any please post them!

Why, exactly, did they tranquilize a wolf and bring it to the pound? It's a WOLF - it's wildife that should be left alone. Updates on this story would be greatly appreciated!

That warden sounds like a dumb***.

[luckies4me]

You can tell by the photo of the animal that it is not a purebred wolf, but a hybrid. A lot of sanctuaries will not take hybrid animals due to their nature (completely false opinion of them IMO) so it's a lot harder to take them somewhere other than animal control. Depending on what content this animal is they may even be able to adopt it out to some knowledgable owners who have had experience with hybrids before. But for them to do that would be quite a risk, and honestly if another suitable home cannot be found it's best bet as sad as it may be would be euthanasia. Having this animal end up in the wrong hands can be deadly.

Also, the game warden should know by looking at the animal that it's not "purebred" so yes, your assumptions that he's a dumb*** are correct.

[KitCat]

Awww! He's such a cute animal. I hope it turns out OK.