Freedom-seeking wolverine escapes from Helsinki Zoo but is recaptured on nearby island
Vet anaesthetises runaway, which is then returned to captivity in boot of car
An elderly wolverine (Gulo gulo) that escaped on Monday morning from its compound in the Helsinki Zoo, located on the island of Korkeasaari, was the cause of a considerable search operation before it was finally caught in a wooded area on the western shore of the nearby island of Santahamina.
The naval vessel Harus detected the furry fugitive just after midday on the ice of the Gulf of Finland just south of the Kuninkaansaari island, some six kilometres away from Korkeasaari. From there the wolverine headed for Santahamina.
On the island of Santahamina, veterinarian Eeva Rudbäck from the Korkeasaari Zoo used a stun dart to render the wolverine unconscious, after which the animal was returned back to the zoo in the boot of zoo director Jukka Salo’s car.
The crafty wolverine managed to escape from its cage by making use of the abundance of snow in it.
By utilising the hard surface of the snowdrifts the animal managed to sneak through an opening in the ceiling of its compound that is normally well out of its reach.
The disappearance of the animal was noticed at 8:30 in the morning by an attendant on his normal rounds. The personnel then contacted the police and the zoo remained shut to the general public.
At first it was believed that the animal was still somewhere in the zoo grounds, for the attendant had skied around the island without noticing any tracks leading away from it.
However, in the morning Helsinki had received some fresh snow, which is likely to have covered the tracks.
“A wolverine is not particularly dangerous to humans, and at the age of 13 this particular animal is exceptionally old for a wolverine. In the wild they normally only reach the age of 6 or 7 years”, Salo explained in a press meeting organised at a Mustikkamaa cafe.
The male wolverine, whose taste of liberty was somewhat short-lived, is called Asante.
It was born in the Skansen Zoo in Stockholm, but has since lived all its life on Korkeasaari. The Helsinki Zoo also has a female wolverine.
Nobody was available for comment on the marital status of the two animals or on whether Asante's vain bid for freedom had anything to do with troubles at home.
In any event, he rolled back the years with a spirited performance on Monday, and was also smart enough not to head for the mainland, where he would have been much more likely to encounter traffic, with probably fatal consequences.
In the Nordic region the wolverine is considered an endangered species.
The wolverine is the largest land-dwelling species in the Mustelidae (weasel) family. In Finland there are around 160 individuals living in the wild.
A wolverine weighs around 25 kilograms and its height at the withers is around 40 centimetres.
Asante weighs in the region of 20 kg.
After the wolverine was caught, the zoo was re-opened to the public in the afternoon.
Links:
Helsinki Zoo - “Korkeasaari”
Wolverine (Wikipedia)
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 9.3.2010 - TODAY |
Freedom-seeking wolverine escapes from Helsinki Zoo but is recaptured on nearby island
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