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Discovery Island wolf continues to thrive

The wolf, known as ‘Takaya’, has lived on the island for seven years
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A screenshot of film footage from monitoring cameras on Discovery and Chatham Islands shows Takaya wandering around (Submitted/BC Parks)

Life is good on the Discovery and Chatham Islands for Takaya, a lone wolf who’s lived there for seven years.

Updates from BC Parks say he’s thriving, living off of a rich marine diet full of seals, otters and fish.

“There is just so much food there that going hungry is not an option for him,” said Sarah Joanisse, BC Parks Area Supervisor.

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BC Parks has cameras set up around the islands – which sit just off the coast of Oak Bay – to supervise Takaya, with the last data retrieval in October and another one planned for this spring.

There have been no additional public encounters since the islands re-opened to the public in June 2017. The park had been closed for nearly a year after people had a run-in with the wolf, who may have been stalking their dog.

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Domestic animals are not allowed at the park.

Takaya’s exact age is not known, but taking into account how long he’s been in the area it’s safe to say he’s a senior wolf, with the average lifespan sitting between six and eight years.

nicole.crescenzi@vicnews.com


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