A local man claiming to be the owner of the mysterious wolf-dog is speaking out for the first time.
Police say they began to receive calls from local residents last week of the wolf-dog hybrid being spotted on the 8600 block of Algon Avenue near Pennypack Park in Northeast Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Game Commission set up cage traps in the area in hopes of capturing it and taking it to a wolf sanctuary. The animal has managed to elude capture however while entertaining curious onlookers.
As the wolf-dog continues to roam, one man has come forward, claiming the animal belongs to him. Kasey Lyons, 21, tells the Philadelphia Inquirer he bought the wolf-dog hybrid in Florida for his fiancé at the time and named the 4-month-old puppy Levi, after his middle name. Lyons claims the animal is actually a timber wolf-Alaskan Malamute mix. He says he lost the animal three-months ago while visiting his family in Philadelphia and training Levi in Pennypack Park. Lyons tells the Inquirer he has since then broken up with his fiancé and moved back to Northeast Philadelphia with his family. It was there that he says he learned about the wolf-dog wandering in the park. When he went there to investigate, he says he recognized his pet.
“No doubt in my mind that's Levi,” said Lyons. "100 percent guaranteed. When we first saw him I started calling him and he started coming. Then there were people across the street who started walking and he darted back into the woods."
Lyons insists the animal is not a threat.
“He’s very calm and mellow,” said Lyons. “He’s laidback and very cautious, kind of like a cat. They’ll come to you if they want to but will avoid you if they don’t.”
That description matches the way the animal has been acting since it caught the attention of authorities and local residents. The animal has been spotted darting out of the woods to stare at the people watching and then retreating into a dense thicket once people approach.
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“He’s never been aggressive,” said Lyons. “If anything he’s submissive.”
Both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and officers from the Philadelphia Police Mounted Patrol continue to try and capture the animal.
Lyons searched for the animal throughout the day but left after his search was unsuccessful. He plans to continue searching on Friday.
Pennsylvania law requires a special permit to own a hybrid wolf-dog, according to the Inquirer. Lyons does not have one. He tells the Inquirer that he bought the animal legally however for $400 in Florida and has the papers and receipts to prove it. Lyons also tells NBC10 he will return the animal to the Pennsylvania wolf sanctuary if he finds him.
“It’s a matter of time before its hit by a car or bites somebody,” said Jerry Czech Jr. of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “We just want to get it out of there and to a wolf sanctuary and get this mess over.”
