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Wolf missing after Hurricane Michael recovered in Florida

Posted at 8:06 AM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-22 08:55:53-04

UPDATE: 

EBRO, Fla. (AP) — Authorities have recovered a wolf named Tahane that escaped from a Florida animal preserve during Hurricane Michael.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that a deputy and a resident spotted the 16-year-old gray wolf in the Ebro area late Friday.

Seacrest Wolf Preserve owner Cynthia Watkins was called to the scene. The sheriff's office said that once she arrived, Tahane "came to her side immediately."

The preserve in Chipley took a hard hit when the hurricane struck Florida's Panhandle on Oct. 10. Watkins said a large oak tree fell on the wolf's enclosure, causing the animal extreme stress and sending him "running for his life in terror."

Tahane is part of the preserve's educational program.

EARLIER STORY: 

CHIPLEY, Fla. (AP) — An animal preserve is offering an $800 reward for the return of a wolf named Tahané that escaped as Hurricane Michael ripped through the Florida Panhandle.

In a video posted on Facebook, Seacrest Wolf Preserve co-owner Cynthia Watkins pleaded for the public's help in finding the 16-year-old gray wolf. Watkins says the preserve in Chipley took a hard hit when the Category 4 hurricane struck Oct. 10.

She says a large oak tree fell on the wolf's enclosure during the storm and "he experienced extreme stress and is running for his life in terror."

Watkins says the wolf was spotted south of the preserve. She is asking people not to shoot the wolf, adding that he is "harmless to humans."

She says Tahané is part of the preserve's educational program.