South Korean police have taken a 40-year-old man into custody for making a fake picture with artificial intelligence. The image claimed to show an escaped wolf, and officials say it seriously slowed down their important search work, according to the BBC.
The wolf named Neukgu was only two years old when he dug his way out of a zoo in Daejeon. His escape triggered a huge rescue operation because he belongs to a special breeding line. Experts see him as key to bringing back wolves in South Korea, where they have not lived in the wild since the 1960s.
People across the country grew very worried about the young wolf. Animal lovers feared he might get hurt or die while on the run. The president even stepped in and assured everyone that safety would come first during the rescue, as noted by The Guardian.
Many groups took part in the hunt including drone operators, police officers, medical staff, and animal doctors. Local residents also helped by sharing videos that showed where the wolf was moving so teams could follow him more easily.
Because of this intense effort, authorities became upset when a computer-made photo started spreading online. It looked like it captured the wolf standing at a busy crossing just hours after he disappeared.
City officials sent urgent alerts to residents, and police used the picture during news updates while sending teams to check the wrong spot.
Investigators managed to track down the creator through security videos and digital records that proved he used AI programs. When officers questioned him, the man simply said he created the picture as a joke with no bad intentions.
If found guilty he could spend up to five years behind bars or pay a large fine around 6,700 dollars. Police are working hard to show that his fake image really got in the way of their search plans.
After spending nine full days on the loose, Neukgu was safely brought back to the zoo. He is now resting quietly away from all the online attention he received earlier.
Even though the wolf is no longer in the news every day, his story continues to spread through a fun cryptocurrency created by fans right after the escape. The project calls him a bold animal chasing freedom and a sign of independence, encouraging people to purchase the tokens.
At one point early in the search, a drone almost helped catch him on a mountainside, but he slipped past the lines set up by rescuers. Later a driver filmed him walking near a road, which gave police fresh hope.
In the end officers found him on a hill close to a highway, gave him medicine to calm him, and discovered only a small fishing hook inside his stomach from his time outside the zoo.
Anyone can still follow the full adventure thanks to a cute map made by supporters. It shows all the real places where people spotted him during those days. The made-up AI photo does not appear on it.
A South Korean newspaper shared an interesting view that even though one school closed for a short time, locals never saw the wolf as dangerous. Instead they thought of him more like a cute lost dog.
One popular online message with millions of views asked people to look at his innocent face and wondered what harm such a sweet animal could cause.
While one person now faces legal trouble for misusing AI during the search, plenty of other fans happily created positive pictures and posts. They made fun AI art showing the wolf running a marathon through the city, going on sightseeing trips, and following different escape paths, all of which spread widely online.
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