A local police officer has confirmed that a wolf was spotted near the Badaling section of Great Wall. "A photo was taken last Friday afternoon," said the officer, adding that the picture has been emailed to county forestry bureau of Yanqing and wild animal protection institutions for further confirmation.

The police, together with wild animal experts, inspected the traces left at the Great Wall scenic spot and confirmed that the animal pictured was a wolf.

A chief of Badaling Wild Animal Zoo ruled out the possibility of the wolf having escaped from the zoo, saying that all the registered wolves are secure in the zoo.

The police cautioned tourists and nearby residents to be careful and are now engaged in trying to trap the wolf.

According to Wang Minzhong, head of the Wild Animal Protection Department of Beijing Forestry and Parks Bureau, there are around 20 wild wolves living in the Greater Beijing area. Registered as a Class I protected species in the city, wild wolves usually keep their distance from humans and never initiate attacks unless provoked.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, December 23, 2008)