A Vancouver Island group that is focused on reuniting owners with their lost four-legged family members is currently trying to catch a supposed “wolf-dog.”
The wolf-dog is loose in the small community of Coombs, which is roughly a 15-minute drive north of Nanaimo.
The group, which is named FLED or Find Lost and Escaped Dogs, is working to try and safely trap the wolf-dog.
“We set up a feeding station first, like a kennel that a dog is used to, and then we might swap it out for a live trap,” Gary Shade, FLED’s co-founder, said.
Shade said he first heard of the wolf-dog in the area through a resident, who has wolf dogs herself. She had tried to catch the loose animal with her live trap but a small bear was caught instead, and broke the trap.
“She put out a plea for another trap. I got ahold of her and told her we have a trap that size and a trail camera,” Shade said. “We went out there and set it up, and sure enough, about three or four days (later) it came around.”
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Shade said the wolf-dog is smart and won’t fall for the trap, as it may be being fed somewhere else or may be getting its fill on local food sources like rabbits. He said it’s believed the approximately 68-kilogram dog was abandoned at the end of September and may have been at least partially domesticated before becoming too much for its owner.
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He is issuing a warning to local dog owners to keep their pets on a leash when in the area, as several dogs have been injured in interactions with the loose animal.
The dog has been dubbed WD-40 by rescuers, WD for wolf-dog and 40 for oil as the animal is quite “slippery” to catch.
As to how exactly the group knows it’s a wolf-dog and not a wolf, Shade said the group has been in constant contact with the BC Conservation Officer Service and wolf experts, who told him through their photographs that it is indeed a wolf dog.
Shade also said someone has been taking down its warning signs at local dog walking spots, warning the dangers of the loose animal.
The group said it has involuntarily been tasked with wrangling the dog. Shade said animal control will not handle it because it’s part wolf, and the BC Conservation Officer Service won’t touch it because it’s part dog.
“It’s right in the middle … so it’s kind of up to private people to (deal with),” Shade said. “Hopefully we will get him.”
Shade said the wolf-dog roams about 170 acres across Coombs.
Global News has reached out to the BC Conservation Officer Service for more information.
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