Grey wolf dies after recapture
Hlong, the Canadian grey wolf that escaped from the Night Safari Zoo and was recaptured earlier this month, has died after being treated for pneumonia.
Supoj Methapiwat, director of the zoo's animal management office, said Hlong died suddenly last week, three days after returning from the animal hospital at Chiang Mai University. Its condition had been improving, prompting the zoo to plan to put it on show for a few days, he said.Supoj said visits from reporters and villagers while the wolf was in hospital might have stressed the animal, affecting its recovery. He said the zoo did not inform the public about its death straight away because it initially regarded it as "normal" and decided to wait for an autopsy result. The animal hospital will today submit the autopsy result to the zoo. The wolf's body will then be preserved and stuffed for study purposes. Hospital director Wanna Suriyasathaporn said Hlong was admitted on August 9 and treated for pneumonia and diarrhoea. Hlong, one of six grey wolves bought from the Czech Republic, was on the loose for more than a month before being recaptured on August 5 by villagers armed with anaesthetic guns and nets. Wildlife Fund Thailand secretary-general Surapol Duangkhae urged zoo executives to reveal whether any other animals were on the loose. A resident of Mae Hia tambon said many villagers had claimed to have spotted grey wolves in different locations at the same time, raising suspicions there were more of the carnivores on the loose. The Nation
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