Menominee Park Zoo wolf euthanized after biting child

OSHKOSH — Authorities followed protocol when euthanizing a male wolf at Menominee Park Zoo after the animal "nipped" a child late last week, a city official said Wednesday.

The incident occurred when a child entered a non-public area of the park Friday and put fingers through a fence, said Ray Maurer, the city's parks director, who declined to disclose the child's age or gender, citing federal privacy laws. The child was transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor finger injuries.

Calling the situation unfortunate and the first of its kind in at least six years, Maurer said the state Division of Public Health mandated authorities kill the animal after the child's parents said they did not want to put their child through rabies shots. A brain sample from the wolf then was sent to Madison for a rabies test, which came back negative.

"There's no other way to test for rabies," Maurer said.

Related story: Gray wolves return to Menominee Park Zoo

Unlike dogs, cats and other domesticated animals, which can be quarantined for a set period of time because experts know how long it takes for rabies symptoms to develop, the incubation period for wild animals is largely unknown, said Jennifer Miller, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Therefore, when a wild animal bites someone, it "makes sense" to euthanize the animal, and doing so is common practice in such cases, Miller said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raccoon, skunks, foxes and most other carnivores should be regarded as rabid unless proven negative by a laboratory test.

When a wild animal bites a person, there usually are two options: give the person anti-rabies prophylaxis or euthanize the animal, said Anne Boyce, environmental health supervisor for the Winnebago County Health Department.

Upon receiving a report of an animal with possible rabies biting someone, health department staff contact the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for guidance, and if warranted, has a veterinarian euthanize the animal, Boyce said.

The situation saddens Ronya Dehn, 40, of Oshkosh, who visits the zoo two to three times a week and even donated money to the zoo's wolf exhibit.

"I purposely donate for these wolves, and to me, it's like taking my donation and throwing it away," Dehn said. "I felt like my donations went to waste through human error. Everybody makes mistakes, but this was (a lack of) common sense."

Zoo officials, along with the Winnebago County Health Department, the state Division of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture continue to investigate the incident and the events leading up to it, Maurer said. He did not know how long that investigation might take.

"We're still looking into how it happened and where," he said, noting it was too soon to tell whether there will be any sort of reparations or disciplinary action as the result of the incident.

The wolf that died, Rebel, was one of four siblings the zoo received last fall after authorities euthanized the last of the previous pack because of health and age issues, Maurer said. All the new wolves are about 12 years old.

Meanwhile, city leaders likely will not replace the male wolf that died, Maurer said.

"It's not that simple," he said. "Another wolf wouldn't be accepted into the pack."

Nathaniel Shuda: (920) 426-6632 or nshuda@thenorthwestern.com; on Twitter @onwnshuda.