A wolf escaped from its British sanctuary Thursday as high winds battered the country, triggering hours of concern and a lockdown at a nearby school. The animal was eventually recaptured unharmed but questions remained about exactly how it escaped.
A wolf that escaped from the UK Wolf Conservation Trust's premises in Reading, England, is led by a handler after being recaptured, Thursday Jan. 18, 2018. Witnesses said the wolf got free after strong winds knocked down a fence at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust near Reading. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)
Witnesses initially said high winds had knocked down a fence at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust near Reading, 45 miles (73 kilometers) west of London, which provides sanctuary for 10 wolves.
A sanctuary official, however, said later that the wolf appears to have been intentionally set free.
The wolf named Torak was on the loose for more than five hours, causing officials to lockdown a nearby school and to warn the public not to approach the animal if encountered.
Teresa Palmer, founder of the wolf trust, said the wolves are routinely padlocked into enclosures. She said she received a call that a wolf was on a footpath outside the sanctuary Thursday and found that the gate to its enclosure had been left open.
"I think somebody deliberately opened the gate," she said. "A lot of people don't particularly believe in having animals in captivity."
Palmer said Torak was frightened but that he was eventually coaxed into a trailer without the use of tranquilizer guns.
"The fact he went through a field of sheep shows he never would have been a danger to the public. Now he's given up. He's had his moment of freedom," she said.
Palmer and her late husband founded the wolf conservation trust more than 20 years ago.
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Europe must continue to step up its help for Ukraine even after the approval of a big U.S. aid package, but made clear that he's sticking to his refusal to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv.
Scholz spoke after meeting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Berlin. The two countries are Europe's biggest suppliers of military assistance to Ukraine as it counters Russia's full-scale invasion, and both vowed to keep that up “for as long as it takes.”
Ukraine's cause was boosted this week by the approval in Congress of a $61 billion U.S. military aid package that had been held up for months. Scholz described it as “an encouraging and necessary signal.”
“But I also want to say clearly that the United States' decision doesn't release us here in Europe from the task of further expanding our support for Ukraine so that the country can defend itself against the aggressor,” he said.
Scholz, whose country recently pledged to supply a third Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, appealed again for other European countries that have the system to examine whether they can spare one.
Still, asked whether he will reverse his often-criticized refusal to send Taurus missiles, Scholz listed at length the military hardware Germany has provided and added: “As far as the weapons system you mention is concerned, my decision won't change.”
Scholz has argued that Taurus missiles could only be used responsibly with the involvement of German soldiers, whether inside or outside Ukraine, and says that is a line he doesn't want to cross.
Sunak, who on Tuesday pledged new military aid to Ukraine, praised Germany's efforts on air defense in particular and said “every country has got different things that it can bring to the table.”
Ukrainian troops have faced acute shortages of shells and air defense systems, allowing Russian forces to edge forward in some parts of eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for greater international assistance, warning that his country will lose the war without it.
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, listens to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz address the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, second left, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, greet delegation members during an official welcome ceremony at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz prepare for a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shake hands during a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak give a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a press conference with Rishi Sunak in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
