Written by
The Associated Press
APPLE VALLEY, Minn. -- A Mexican wolf was shot and killed after it escaped from its enclosure at the Minnesota Zoo in suburban Apple Valley.
Tony Fisher, MN Zoo animal collection manager, told KARE 11 the ordeal began around 10 a.m. when the male wolf escaped his primary display area. Vets and zookeepers armed with tranquilizers started gathering and preparing to recapture the wolf but it jumped a secondary barrier and ran out among the public walking on the zoo's Northern Trail.
The zoo's emergency response team was activated and the main gates secured. The decision was soon made to kill the wolf rather than risk tranquilizing it, to ensure the safety of the public. .
Fisher says the entire incident took between 20 and 30 minutes.
Mary Woestehoff, of Richfield, tells the Star Tribune she saw the wolf running down a path about 10:30 a.m., prompting her to scoop up her 18-month-old daughter. She says she went to an emergency phone and reported the loose animal.
No people were hurt and the wolf never left the zoo grounds.
Zoo spokesperson Kelly Lessard says zoo officials are investigating how the 8-year-old male escaped.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)