Police Shoot Escaped Wolf

By: Michael Thomason

Madisonville Police killed a wolf Tuesday after it escaped from its cage on North Tellico Street. Sgt. Bill Bivins received the initial call but was busy with a funeral and called Animal Control Officer Conward Bivens. Bivens said the wolf belonged to Arie Miller but a neighbor said Miller was not at home and might have been in the process of moving.

Bivens said he approached the wolf and tried to calm it down, but each time he got closer the wolf bared its teeth. Bivens tried to entice the wolf back into its pen with food, but the wolf wouldn’t go.

Sgt. Bivins arrived on the scene and found two small dogs the wolf had killed. The neighbor also told Bivins the wolf had tried to bite her through the fence several times and she was worried the wolf was going to attack the animal control officer.

Bivins said when he walked around the back of the house Bivens was trying to calmly talk the wolf down but the animal finally bared its teeth and Bivens had to shoot it.

Bivens said he didn’t want to shoot the animal, but he was worried it might take off and endanger other people in the neighborhood.

There were no charges filed in the incident.

The Monroe County Advocate