Takaya, a beloved lone wolf, has been killed by a merciless hunter after she became famous due to a BBC documentary.
Takaya: Lone Wolf, a documentary by BBC, aired last year.
The documentary showcased the story of Cheryl Alexander, a renowned wildlife photographer, and her 7 year-long mission to discover how Takaya came to be on a small, uninhabited archipelago named Discovery Island, which is located off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.
Takaya journeyed from Victoria, a city on Canada’s west coast, across nearly 25 miles of urban sprawl until he reached the south-east tip of Vancouver Island.
From there, the wild animal swam nearly 2 miles towards the tiny islands.
Takaya became legendary and gathered fans all over the world, however it was found that she was shot and killed on March 24, 2020.
Earlier this year, Takaya managed to get away from the island and swam back towards the city, where the police sedated him before releasing him along the west coast of Vancouver Island.
In the weeks before his death, Takaya was spotted by locals.
The poor wolf was killed by a hunter near Shawnigan Lake.
The British Columbia’s conservation agency released a statement about the incident.
The agency said, “We understand many British Columbians and people around the world shared care and concern for the well-being of this wolf and this update will affect many people.”
Alexander, the wildlife photographer, was notified about the death of Takaya on March 25, 2020.
Authorities identified that the dead wolf was Takaya after seeing its yellow ear-tag.
In response to the death, Alexander said that she is fluctuating between absolute rage.
Alexander added, “I feel empathy for the person who shot him. [They] couldn’t have known that people all over the world were loving this wolf and following his life, and finding inspiration and hope in this wolf.”
Chris Genovali, the executive director of the raincoats Conservation Foundation, said that the death of Takaya suggests that there is a huge problem out there.
Chris said, “The senseless trophy killing of Takaya, the iconic ‘lone wolf’ made famous by his stay on Discovery Island, once again brings to the fore the full-spectrum persecution of Canis lupus (wolves) in British Columbia.”
Chris said that Takaya was killed by a trophy hunter, however, authorities couldn’t confirm this.
The British Columbia Conservation Office Service could only confirm Takaya was killed by a hunter.
Alexander hopes that the death of Takaya will come as a wake-up call for the entitled hunters who are killing wild animals for fun.