A wolf dog that was seemingly dumped in September in the Coombs area of Vancouver Island is proving to be both hard to catch and dangerous.
Gary Shade, co-founder of Find Lost and Escaped Dogs (FLED) Vancouver Island, said earlier this month that his organization has provided a large trap and camera to try to catch the animal that has approached other dogs and horses over 68 hectares.
The plan for FLED was to catch the animal, known as WD40, and send it to a local spot with wolf dogs or to a sanctuary in Alberta.
However, yesterday FLED announced on social media that they are having to pull out of the search. The team said they are ceasing their efforts due to not having enough experience in wolf dogs.
FLED noted that it appears animal control has set their own trap, but it is not known if a camera has been put up to monitor it.
The update in the race to capture WD40 comes after multiple pets were attacked and one Frenchie was tragically killed, possibly by the loose wolf dog.
“This never should have had to come to this,” said FLED. “If Conservation would have helped weeks ago, all the injured dogs and the death of this little Frenchie would never have happened.”
“The team experienced with these dogs and FLED, would have had WD40 off to Alberta where he would have got to live out his years in a safe environment.”
NowMedia was supplied with a statement from the BC Conservation Officer Service (BC COS) about the situation.
“We feel for the owners of the dog who were involved in a traumatic situation over this past weekend. We recognize that this offending animal may cause concern for area residents,” said the BC COS.
However, the Conservation officials added that the wolf dog is not considered wildlife or a controlled alien species, and therefore does not fall under their jurisdiction.
“We have reached out to the parties involved and offered advice and support at this time," BC COS added.
The lack of success was also blamed on instances where people were pulling down signs about the animals in the area and tampering with the trap door.
“We know he became very smart about the trap, but he was interested in the beginning. However, now we will never know,” the organization said.
