The male Mexican wolf shot and killed Wednesday at the Minnesota Zoo may have escaped a separate holding area to go after two wolves new to the exhibit, officials said. The new Mexican wolves from the flooded Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, N.D., moved in a couple of weeks ago, disrupting life for Minnesota's lone wolf, said Tony Fisher, animal collection manager at the Apple Valley zoo.
The local wolf's last companion died six months ago. Zookeepers had been keeping the new wolves away from the Minnesota-born wolf because of its aggression toward them, Fisher said.
The 8-year-old wolf slipped through a gap in the holding area's fence before jumping an 8-foot fence in a secondary enclosure and running onto a public path. The wolf traveled halfway around the zoo's Northern Trail before zoo staff shot and killed it.
The wolf did not harm any humans. Last winter's heavy snowfall may have caused gaps in the enclosure's fence, Fisher said. Thursday, zookeepers checked exhibits throughout the facility, especially those outdoors, to ensure that other animals are securely contained. Staff also secured the holding area's fence, where the wolf escaped, by adding more fasteners to it.
"We're looking at things a lot closer," Fisher said. The secondary enclosure's 8-foot fence seemed high enough when the wolf exhibit was created, he said. Now, the zoo may add a wire-mesh top. "Animals do surprise us on occasion, and some animals are better athletes ...,"