'Heartbroken' charity to review keeping wolves after cull

The director of a wildlife charity which was forced to put down its entire wolf pack says it will consider whether or not it is right to keep the animals in captivity, and whether it will do so again.

Wildwood Trust near Herne Bay had to euthanise five wolves - Odin, Nuna, Minimus, Tiberius and Maximus - after pack dynamics between the group broke down, leading to infighting and life-threatening injuries for some of the animals.

Paul Whitfield, director of the trust, told BBC Radio Kent his team was "heartbroken" by the decision, and would now question whether it was right to continue the practice.

He said: "We are absolutely questioning it."

Whitfield added: "Long-term, we would love to see wolves back in the wild, and it's very important for people to be able to see a wolf.

"But we will be doing an internal review as to whether or not we do have wolves again."

Wildwood Trust said dynamics between the wolf pack, including Odin, Nuna and their three fully-grown cubs, had irreparably broken down with the animals attacking each other.

Three of the animals had suffered life-threatening injuries, with another also seriously hurt, Whitfield added.

He said he had lobbied to see if it were possible to not euthanise all of the wolves, but said: "It's incredibly unfair, they were all suffering."

Richard Morley, director of the Wolves and Humans Foundation, said that while the incident raises such questions, captive wolves "contribute significantly" to education, and support conservation of the species in the wild.

He said: "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."

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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