Hybrid pet wolves escape and roam parts of Ohio: Outdoors

hybrid wolf.jpgView full sizeThis hybrid wolf was shot and killed near Sandusky, Ohio.
There are wolves living in Ohio, generally hybrid wolves bred and raised here or brought to Ohio by people who want them as pets.

In Sandusky County last week, a hunter thought he killed a large coyote, only to discover it was most likely a pet wolf that had probably been running wild for about six months.

Dusty Gore of Bellevue, Ohio, spotted a small pack of what he thought were coyotes while driving past York School near his home on March 15. Coyotes are a problem for rural landowners and farmers, as they kill livestock and pets. The sighting prompted Gore to return home to get his hunting rifle.

Gore shot and killed the largest of the animals. Two others ran off.

Coyotes seldom grow to more than 50 pounds. This animal was estimated at more than 120 pounds, and looked suspiciously like a wolf.

Sandusky County wildlife officer Brian Bury confirmed it was a wolf, and wildlife officials were sure it was an escaped pet wolf. Even though the animal was genetically close to being a pure wolf and was in prime physical condition, the last truly wild wolf was killed in Ohio in 1842.

"This wolf was huge, at least twice the size of a big coyote," said Bury. "I would not want to go face-to-face with a wolf of that size and not be armed."

No one seems prepared to handle domestic wolves should they escape or be released and become wild. Wolves are not managed by the Division of Wildlife. They might be dangerous animals, but they are the responsibility of local dog wardens and law enforcement officials, said Division of Wildlife district game management supervisor Scott Butterworth.

"If an animal like this escapes and is eventually caught or killed, someone usually claims it," said Butterworth. "But if it would maul a kid, it's doubtful anyone would come forward."

No one seems to know if these people-raised wolves will be a danger to Ohioans or livestock. So far, there have been no documented attacks. Like elk, exotic deer and other animals not on Ohio's official list of wildlife, they are fair game for hunters, with no seasonal hunting restrictions. In a worst case scenario, like feral pigs, they could breed in the wild and increase in number.

Wildlife officials may have tracked down the original owner of the wolf, but won't reveal the name.

"A lady called us after seeing the photo of the wolf in a local newspaper, and identified it as a hybrid wolf she raised and had sold," said Division of Wildlife district law enforcement supervisor Paul Kurfis. That wolf, said Kurfis, had apparently been sold or given to yet another person before it escaped last September.

"I've had at least a half-dozen reports of wolves in a 20-mile area around Sandusky County," said Bury. "People are very irresponsible in getting these animals, then let them loose or allow them to escape when they don't want to continue to care for them.

"From reports I get, the wolves are not afraid of people or very aggressive. People have seen them eating carcasses or carrying a rabbit in their mouth. We have not heard of livestock kills, though one was spotted standing near a chicken coop. They're not malnourished."

Most troubling is that the dead wolf was spotted only a couple of hundred yards away from a school, and two others running with it had escaped.

The wolf is now at a local taxidermy studio. It was reportedly 98 percent wolf with a little German shepherd and Alaskan Malamute in its genetic background.