Furious animal lovers claim they weren’t warned before an entire pack of wolves they had adopted were euthanised at a wildlife park.
Last week, Wildwood Trust in Canterbury said it was forced to make the ‘absolute last resort’ decision due to ‘severe aggression’ between the pack.
Three out of the five European grey wolves had reportedly suffered serious injuries due to a ‘breakdown’ in pack dynamics.
Bosses at the park said the decision to put commanding duo Nuna and Odin and their three male offspring Minimus, Tiberius and Maximus down was made after taking extensive advice from keepers and veterinary specialists.
But enraged park visitors – who have paid money to ‘adopt’ the pack – are demanding an independent investigation into the incident.
The group, who call themselves ‘symbolic guardians’ of the wolves, say they found out ‘through Google‘ that the pack had been put down.
A petition has already reached 16,500 signatures and appeals for a ‘fully transparent review’ of the pack’s management logs.
Amazingly, the option to ‘adopt a wolf’ is still available on Wildwood Trust’s website at £30–£60, despite the fact the entire pack has been euthanised.
Wildwood Trust says it was forced to make the ‘absolute last resort’ decision due to ‘severe aggression’ between the pack
The petition, which has already reached 16,500 signatures, calls for an independent investigation into the incident
The petition, on Change.org, reads: ‘My name is Davie Murray, and I adopted these wolves. I can’t bring them back. But I need to know why they died, and whether it had to happen at all.’
It continues: ‘As part of the Wildwood Trust’s membership and adoption scheme, I – along with more than 300 other people – became symbolic guardians of a pack of five European grey wolves living at the Trust’s park in Kent.
‘We paid. We cared. We followed their lives. Odin, Nuna, Maximus, Tiberius, and Minimus were our pack.
‘On March 25, 2026, I found out they were all dead – not from the Trust, not from a phone call, not from an email to their adopters. I found out from a Google notification.’
When news of the drastic measure broke, the wildlife charity insisted that long–term separation of the pack was not a viable solution and that moving individuals into other packs would be ‘irresponsible.’
In a post on Instagram it explained that attempting to sedate and move the wolves would have ‘posed a significant risk to both the animals and the team, and would not have resolved the underlying issue.’
The charity said that the severity of injuries was ‘extremely high’ and that multiple wolves had sustained life–threatening wounds, with one individual showing signs of sepsis.
‘Due to the instability within the pack, we were unable to safely intervene or provide the level of veterinary treatment needed. This meant that maintaining any acceptable quality of life for the animals was no longer possible,’ it added.
The wolves have previously appeared to interact well together within their enclosure. But the Trust said there has been a recent deterioration within group dynamics
However, Mr Murray argues ‘the facts tell a different story.’
‘Post–mortem results confirmed that one wolf had already developed sepsis – a systemic infection that takes days, not hours, to develop,’ he said.
‘This means life–threatening injuries were present and going untreated for a significant period before the so–called “emergency” decision was made.’
He argued there are discrepancies between official statements about what happened, with one claiming there was a ‘sudden explosion’ of violence and another saying there was a ‘prolonged period’ of rising tension.
‘If the situation was deteriorating over time, why was there no separation plan?’ he wrote.
He also questioned why the option to rehome the animals was never taken.
‘We need to know why specialist sanctuaries were apparently never contacted about saving the uninjured members of the pack,’ he wrote.
And finally, he said more than 300 adopters had a ‘direct relationship’ with this pack – and none were warned or consulted.
According to the Wildwood Trust there are three ‘levels’ of wolf adoption available, ranging from a one–off payment of £30–£60
On the website, visitors still have the option to adopt a wolf at their site in Kent – despite the entire pack being put down
‘We deserved better. And so did Odin, Nuna, Maximus, Tiberius, and Minimus,’ he said.
The petition demands a fully transparent, independent review of the pack’s management logs from the last six months, a clear explanation of why no emergency separation facility existed on site, and a full account of what rehoming options were explored and why they were rejected.
It also calls for a ‘Never Again’ commitment and mandatory consultation with specialist sanctuaries before any healthy animal is euthanised for behavioural reasons.
And finally, it demands a ‘formal apology and direct communication to all adopters, who were the last to know.’
According to the Wildwood Trust website, there are three ‘levels’ of wolf adoption available, ranging from a one–off payment of £30–£60.
The ‘deluxe’ option includes an A4 photo, family one–day ticket to Wildwood, a certificate of adoption and a deluxe plaque at the enclosure.
Last week Paul Whitfield, Wildwood Trust’s Director General, said there had been a recent deterioration in the dynamics of the pack.
‘Wolves are highly social animals that live within complex family structures, and when those dynamics break down, conflict and rejection can increase,’ he said.
In a post on Instagram the charity also explained that attempting to sedate and move the wolves would have ‘posed a significant risk to both the animals and the team’
‘In this case, it led to ongoing welfare concerns and an unacceptable risk of serious injury.’
He added: ‘Euthanasia is never taken lightly, but in responsible animal care it can sometimes be the most humane option when welfare can no longer be maintained.
‘This decision was an absolute last resort, with the animals’ welfare as our priority.
‘It’s incredibly difficult, but it was ultimately the right thing to do to prevent further suffering.’
He said keepers ‘did everything they could to find a way forward’ and had tried a range of interventions to try and stabilise the group.
‘Despite these efforts, it became clear there was no safe or humane long–term solution that would allow the wolves to live together as a stable pack,’ the park said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Wildwood Trust said: ‘We know this news has been deeply upsetting for many people, and we understand the strength of feeling around it. No one is more upset about this than the staff at Wildwood.
‘This was an incredibly difficult decision, made with great care after consultation with several external wolf specialists, experienced veterinary professionals, and an ethical review.
The pack, made up of commanding duo Nuna and Odin and their three male offspring, Minimus, Tiberius and Maximus, was a beloved attraction among locals, with the news leading to an outpouring of sadness from visitors
‘All possible alternatives were given careful and exhaustive consideration. The clear advice we received was that any delay or alternative course of action would have led to prolonged and avoidable pain and suffering for all five wolves.’
They explained the wolf pack has been stable for nearly a decade. ‘However, a few months ago we saw an unusual level of aggression from the mother to one of the males,’ they said. ‘This was monitored by the keepers and vets and various interventions were made to address this.
‘Then very recently things suddenly changed and the pack completely broke down with all of the wolves fighting and causing very serious injuries to each other.
‘A post-mortem carried out by the International Zoo Veterinary Group has since confirmed that the correct decision was taken.’
The spokeswoman said there seems to be a ‘misunderstanding’ that the charity euthanised health wolves that could have been saved. ‘That was not the case, none of the wolves were healthy and the post-mortem findings show that it would not have been ethical to have taken any other action,’ they added.
‘We have tried to be as open and transparent about this sad and upsetting situation as possible, putting out a social media update and press release within 2 hours. We also followed this up by sending an email to everyone on our mailing list following the postmortem results. We have given additional information when it was appropriate to do so.
‘As a conservation charity with more than 25 years’ experience caring for wolves, our decisions are always guided by expert evidence and our responsibility to prevent pain and suffering. We are carrying out an internal review, as we do following any significant welfare decision, to ensure we continue to meet the highest standards of care.
‘We do not take decisions like this lightly. We recognise that, from the outside, it may be difficult to fully understand the clinical evidence behind what happened, but based on everything we know, and the expert advice we received, we remain confident that this was the correct and most humane decision for the animals in our care.’
