Daejeon zoo to reopen after closure following wolf escape

O-World zoo in Daejeon, which shuttered after one of its wolves escaped in April, is set to reopen on Friday. 

The Geum River Flood Control Office, the regulatory authority under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment overseeing O-World, issued its approval for the zoo to resume operations, according to the Daejeon City Corporation on Wednesday. 

On April 8, the escaped wolf, named Neukgu, dug under the wire fencing of its enclosure and fled the facility. It was captured 10 days later at 12:44 a.m. on April 17 at a location approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the zoo.  

The office had ordered a temporary operations suspension on April 20 after determining that the wolf escape constituted a violation of the Act on the Management of Zoos and Aquariums. 

In response, O-World submitted an action plan and report that included an internal investigation into the cause of the wolf escape and measures to prevent a recurrence. The Geum River Flood Control Office conducted an on-site inspection on Friday to verify that the required measures had been carried out.

The Daejeon Metropolitan City's audit committee also conducted a special audit of the zoo's overall facilities, including its animal enclosure management, for approximately two weeks beginning April 27.

"We received approval for reopening after fulfilling the measures required by the Geum River Flood Control Office," a Daejeon City Corporation spokesperson said. "We plan to hold a press briefing in front of the Wolf Safari enclosure at O-World on June 4, followed by a reopening at 9:30 a.m. on June 5."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]