A wolf who escaped a South Korean zoo nine days ago, captivating international attention, has been found and safely returned.

Neukgu burrowed his way out of the O-World zoo and theme park in Daejeon, south of Seoul, April 8.

The search for Neukgu kept the country on edge, and many worried about the 2-year-old wolf eight years after a puma named Bbo-rong was shot and killed hours after it escaped from the same zoo.

Neukgu was seen several times before he was captured, including on surveillance video.

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He was also seen near a highway nearly 3 miles from the zoo, a zoo official said.

The animal was captured just after midnight Friday after he was shot by a veterinarian using a tranquilizer gun.

His vital signs were normal after a health check, but a fishhook was removed from his stomach, zoo officials said.

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Neukgu, born in captivity in 2024, is part of a breeding program to bring up the numbers of the Korean wolf, which is considered extinct in the wild.

He is of the third generation of wolves brought to South Korea from Russia to reintroduce an animal similar to the Korean wolf, which went extinct in the 1960s.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo expressed his gratitude to those involved in the search for bringing Neukgu back safely and pledged on Facebook to “prepare measures for animal ​welfare and civil safety in the process of reorganising (the zoo).”

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The extensive search included drones with thermal image cameras.

Neukgu escaped an earlier attempt at capture when he evaded a perimeter set for him on a mountain near the zoo.

South Koreans were enthralled by Neukgu’s escape, with some calling him an “honorary ambassador for the zoo.” He even sparked an eponymous cryptocurrency meme.

Fans of the wolf lit up social media after his rescue, writing, “welcome back” and “Neukgu, it’s dangerous outside the house.”

After Neukgu’s escape last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung wrote on X, “Currently, the police, fire services, and military are mobilizing their full resources to ensure a safe capture and return. I sincerely hope that no casualties occur, and I pray that Neukgu, too, returns safely and unharmed.”

O-World remains closed after Neukgu’s return, and it faces scrutiny after as series of animal escapes. A nearby elementary school also briefly closed after the wolf’s escape for safety reasons.

Lee Kwan Jong, director of O-World, said Neukgu will be kept separate from the other animals until he has recovered.

Zoo officials said they aren’t sure when O-World will reopen as they review security measures, and the director added that Neukgu’s health will take precedence.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former Virginia Lt. Gov Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Cerina Fairfax, before killing himself in their home, according to law enforcement reports released Thursday, prompting reactions from public officials and commentators as details of the incident emerged.

Authorities said the incident occurred at the couple’s residence, where officers responded to reports of gunfire and later confirmed both deaths. Officials have not indicated any additional suspects and described the case as a murder-suicide.

Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., reacted publicly to the deaths in a post on X, receiving criticism for omitting any reference to Fairfax as the perpetrator.

“Today is a tragic day for the Commonwealth,” Vindman said in the post. “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the news involving former Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax and Cerina Fairfax.”

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“Cindy and I are holding their loved ones close in our hearts, especially their two children, as they endure this unimaginable loss.”

Public reaction on social media followed, with some users criticizing how Vindman framed the situation.

Commentator Matt Van Swol questioned the wording used in Vindman’s post, writing, “What is ‘the news’ Vindman?????”

Van Swol added, “Anyone reading this has no idea that Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax MURDERED HIS WIFE AND THEN SHOT HIMSELF.”

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Another user, posting under the name “Golden Poppy,” also responded to the framing of the incident.

“What happened to you using the term gun violence and being concerned about child safety?” the user continued. “Why not dance on these graves to push your anti-civil rights, anti-gun agenda?”

“If you read just this tweet by Eugene Vindman, you would have no idea that Justin Fairfax ***murdered his wife***,” one reporter wrote.

“A tad passive for what actually happened,” XX-XY’s Jennifer Sey wrote.

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Attorney Nancy Erika Smith, who previously represented Meredith Watson in sexual assault allegations against Fairfax, pointed to what she described as a pattern of behavior.

“There were decades of signs of his anger and mistreatment of women and he used the court system to intimidate his victims and news outlets,” Smith said.

“Society must be more responsive when women report these crimes.”

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An acquaintance of Fairfax, speaking anonymously, described the former lieutenant governor’s personal and financial struggles in the years following the allegations.

“He couldn’t find a job really,” the source said. “When he couldn’t get clients, he couldn’t get work. I think that’s what started the downhill of the marriage itself.”

“That whole scandal, it’s been sort of downhill for Justin Fairfax ever since.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Vindman’s office for comment.

A British bride has battled depression and has been unable to work in the nearly two years since she was drenched in black paint by her spiteful sister-in-law. The attack occurred moments before she was slated to walk down the aisle to wed her childhood sweetheart — the climax of a revenge attack amid an ongoing feud.

Gemma Monk, 35, a mother of two, was looking forward to marrying her now-husband, Ken Monk, in May 2024. She was walking with her father on a cream-colored carpet at the venue in Maidstone, England, when someone called out her name. Seconds later, she was splashed with black paint, she told Kent Online in an article published Friday.

Realizing the attacker was her sister-in-law, Antonia Eastwood, who is married to Gemma’s older brother, Ashley, Gemma grabbed her by the hair, but Eastwood managed to get away. The bride was left distraught and in tears.

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“This has had a dramatic impact on my life,” Monk told Kent Online on Wednesday, after Eastwood was sentenced by a British court for two offenses of criminal damage. “Even while I was providing this statement at the police station, I got extremely emotional and started crying while talking about the incident.

“Since the incident, if it wasn’t for my children or my family, I don’t think I would even get out of bed to care for myself,” she added. “I have lost all my dignity and good habits in life. I have lost who I used to be. This has turned the most special day of my life into the worst memory — one I will never forget, and neither will my family.”

The attack occurred after Monk had lost significant weight during a cancer scare. Though she has since been given a clean bill of health, Monk said her sister-in-law knew about the medical struggle at the time but “still decided to ruin the most important day of my life and put me at risk.”

Eastwood, 49, had been banned from the wedding following a feud that stemmed from her own nuptials, during which Monk was accused of “trying to trip up” Eastwood.

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In court, Eastwood was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to perform 160 hours of community service. 

“This was meant to be a special day for Gemma Monk and her family. Courtesy of your conduct, it turned into a nightmare,” Judge Oliver Saxby told Eastwood before imposing the sentence.

Eastwood’s husband, Ashley, was once Ken Monk’s best friend and actually introduced him to Gemma when she was only 14.

Despite the attack, Gemma scrubbed the paint from her face and body in the changing room and borrowed a dress fetched by an usher so she could marry her partner of more than 20 years. 

“We had waited for that day for so long. Nothing was going to stop me,” she said. “I did not think twice; I would have walked down the aisle in my knickers and with black paint over my face if I had to.”

However, Monk, a mental health worker, has since suffered from depression and has been unable to work. In a statement to the court, she said the incident changed her outlook on life and “made me question whether I had done something really bad, whether I had done something wrong.”

The couple also called off a planned honeymoon to the Maldives because Gemma “wasn’t up to it.”

“I had a gut feeling—a bad feeling that something was wrong—when I got out of the car with my dad,” Monk said. “But he said it must be nerves.”

“I will never accept her apology,” she added. “I thought the sentence was too light. She should have received at least 23 months for the wait we have had to get this to court.”