Charity defends wolf euthanasia decision amid investigation calls

A wildlife charity has defended its decision to euthanise its pack of wolves after the launch of a petition demanding an independent investigation.

Wildwood Trust in Kent euthanised its European grey wolf pack – parents Odin and Nuna and full-grown cubs Tiberius, Minimus and Maximus – on 25 March after a breakdown in their social structure led to infighting resulting in life-threatening injuries.

A petition launched by Davie Murray, a member of the charity’s adoption scheme, has already racked up more than 18,000 signatures.

The petition makes a range of demands, including a review of the pack’s management logs going back six months, an account of any rehoming options explored and for a “never again” commitment that the charity will consult “with specialist sanctuaries before any healthy animal is euthanised for behavioural reasons”.

‘Difficult decision’

In a statement to Vet Times, a Wildwood Trust spokesperson said: “This was an incredibly difficult decision, made with great care after consultation with several external wolf specialists, experienced veterinary professionals, and an ethical review.

“All possible alternatives were given careful and exhaustive consideration. The clear advice we received was that any delay or alternative course of action would have led to prolonged and avoidable pain and suffering for all five wolves.”

The spokesperson said an International Zoo Veterinary Group post-mortem “confirmed the correct decision was taken”, adding: “There seems to be a misunderstanding that we euthanised healthy wolves that we could have saved.

“That was not the case, none of the wolves were healthy and the post-mortem findings show that it would not have been ethical to have taken any other action.”

The statement concluded: “We do not take decisions like this lightly. We recognise that, from the outside, it may be difficult to fully understand the clinical evidence behind what happened, but based on everything we know, and the expert advice we received, we remain confident that this was the correct and most humane decision for the animals in our care.”

Internal review

Wildwood Trust said it is conducting an internal review to ensure it is “continuing to meet the highest standards of care”, and trust director Paul Whitfield told the BBC it is “absolutely questioning” whether to keep wolves again.

Richard Morley, director of the Wolves and Humans Foundation, said: “I have confidence that Paul Whitfield and the team at Wildwood made the best decision they could in the circumstances, and have offered them any support I can give at this difficult time.”

He added: “Captive wolves contribute significantly to education and support for conservation of the species in the wild.

“If we hope to have wolves back in the UK one day, it is important that people can see them in the flesh and learn more about them, particularly at places like Wildwood, which has an excellent record in supporting conservation and reintroduction of native species.”