Lost Idaho wolf pup finds new home in Virginia

BOISE, Idaho -- Idaho’s lost wolf pup left Boise this morning to head to a new home in Virginia.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials selected Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., for the pup’s long-term stay.

Out-of-town campers picked up the lone wolf pup outside Ketchum in late May. Thinking it was a lost domestic puppy, the campers took the animal to a veterinarian. A few weeks later, DNA tests confirmed what wildlife officials already believed: that the male pup was in fact a wild wolf.

The pup will move from its temporary home in Zoo Boise to Busch Gardens, a facility that has taken care of wolves for more than 12 years. It recently received two wolf pups and manages a total of nine wolves.

Busch Gardens is also where the National Zoo - affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution - sends its staff for captive wolf training. The facility is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This particular accreditation was a requirement for Fish and Game officials in deciding where the pup should go.

Fish and Game officials were forced to find a new home for the pup after attempts to locate the pup’s wolf pack were unsuccessful.

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)2012 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)

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