Zoo shoots escaped wolf dead weeks after she gave birth to cubs

'Had there been any way to save her we would, of course, have taken it'

Ember gave birth to five cubs (Cotswold Wildlife/Jackie Thomas)

A captive wolf, who had recently given birth to cubs, has been shot dead after escaping from her zoo enclosure.

Ember, a three-year-old Eurasian wolf, was shot by a member of staff at the Cotswold Wildlife Park after climbing over an electric fence and making her way towards a main road.

A statement from the zoo said euthanasia was the "last resort" but necessary to keep visitors and the general public safe.

"Had there been any way to save her we would, of course, have taken it," the statement read.

"Euthanasia is, and always would be, our last resort. However she had somehow escaped her enclosure and had made her way into an area that was beyond the range of a tranquiliser dart, and potentially within reach of a busy road."

Ember had recently given birth to five cubs—the first wolves to be born in the park’s 47-year-old history.

Her death had led to strong condemnation from animal lovers and the general public.

Wildlife TV Presenter and film maker Anneka Svenska wrote on Twitter: "Is this a joke Cotswold Wildlife Park? Ember was a mum to pups and you shot her instead of tranquilising her?"

She added: "Outraged. Wolf Ember shot dead at Cotswold Wildlife Park. You bring them here, you mess up the security and the animals pay with their lives!"

One Twitter user said in a tweet directed to the zoo: "You failed, your 'robust enclosure security checks' processes failed and an innocent animal paid the price."

The zoo said the wolf’s death had been "devastating" and was "felt by all who had the pleasure to know her". It also said it had taken measures to increase the security of its enclosures in the wake of the incident.