By James Simons-
Children are being warned to stay indoors after a wolf escaped from a sanctuary near a school.
Police have told members of the public not to approach the wild animal which is on the loose from the UK Wolf Conservation Trust sanctuary in Beenham, near Reading.
The escape is shocking and disappointing because of the dangerous risk to life the animal poses. A woolf should not have been able to escape from a sanctuary for any reason whatsoever.Officers were called at 8am on Thursday to the scene near the centre in Picklepythe Lane.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “Officers have sight of the wolf and are working with staff from the sanctuary to detain it.
“Do not approach the wolf if you see it.”
Staff at the sanctuary declined to comment on record, but one told the Eye Of Media.Com that strong winds arising from the tempestuous weather is believed to have damaged the cage last night, allowing the beast to escape.
Police revealed at 11.30am that three and a half hours after the wolf escaped – it had still evaded capture although officers had sight of it in the woods. About an hour later there were sightings of the wolf heading north, near the A34/M4 junction. The situation is laughable for a matter potentially very serious, it exposes a lax security system at the sanctuary. Provision should have been made for this type of unforeseen circumstance. The escape is an embarrassment to the organisers of the sanctuary. They have important questions to answer.
Pupils at Elstree Independent Boys Preparatory School not far from the sanctuary have particularly been told to be conscious of the escape and not go out. The 22 year old sanctuary has 10 wolves from the Artic and Northwestern breeds, living in four packs. Two of the packs are from Dartmoor and another from Quebec. Organisers of the sanctuary conduct weekly walks with members of the public keen to enjoy the company of one of their wolves under professional supervision for about an hour and a half.
Members of the public are taken through a safety briefing and then introduced to the wolves and handlers for the walk. The wolves then set off across the fields, giving guests a view of the animals as they sniff, scent and scratch. Members of the public often take photos to capture the moment
A Thames Valley police spokesman said: “Officers have sight of the wolf and are working with staff from the sanctuary to detain it. Do not approach the wolf if you see it.” Let’s hope the woolf doesn’t approach someone and attack them before they spot it.
Sian Champkin, whose husband works at Elstree Independent Boys Preparatory School in nearby Woolhampton, said pupils have been told not to go outside.
The 37-year-old said: “He phoned me to tell me about it because we have a child, a dog and a cat and not to go outside. The sanctuary is about a mile away as the crow flies.
“I was slightly shocked, nothing like this has ever happened before.”
Founded in 1995, the sanctuary currently has 10 wolves from the Artic and Northwestern breeds, living in four packs. Two of the packs are from Dartmoor and another from Quebec. The remaining wolves were born at the sanctuary.