Lost Puppy May Be Wolf
Out-of-town campers picked up what they thought was a lost domestic puppy outside of Ketchum on Friday. It turns out that the animal may be a wolf.
The campers took it to a vet clinic in town. . A technician at the clinic thought the lost male puppy looked like it might be a wolf and contacted a Defenders of Wildlife representative, who also thought it looked like a wolf, Idaho Fish and Game said Wednesday.
The agency said it was then contacted. Fish and Game officials spent parts of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday looking for a wolf pack near where the pup was found, hoping to return it. But they could find no fresh sign of a pack in the area.
A blood sample was drawn for a DNA test. Officials are awaiting test results to determine if it is a wolf, wolf hybrid or something else.
Zoo Boise agreed to take the pup temporarily and to help Fish and Game find it a permanent home.
It is possible that the pack was moving with the pups ? perhaps from a den to a rendezvous site ? and may have been disturbed by traffic on the road, officials said.
The animal is not in the best physical condition and needs veterinary care.
Fish and Game is reminding residents that it is best to leave young animals in the wild alone.
