Vacationing hikers in Ketchum, Idaho saved what they thought was a lost house pet – only to learn that the pup in their possession was an orphaned wolf.
After returning to camp, the hikers brought the young wolf to a nearby vet who immediately suspected that this was no ordinary house pet. A Defenders of Wildlife representative concurred, and a DNA test was ordered to verify if the pup is pure wolf, or a hybrid.
Idaho Fish and Game spent the weekend searching for a wolf pack near where the pup was found, hoping to reunite it with its family, but they did not find any sings of a pack in the area.
Zoo Boise has agreed to provide temporary housing until Fish and Game can find it a permanent home.
Officials said the pup likely became separated from a roving pack. Idaho Fish and Game reminds campers and hikers to be careful when approaching young animals in the wild.