Idaho woman pleads not guilty in wolf escape

SANDPOINT – A North Idaho woman pleaded not guilty to failing to alert state wildlife officials when a white wolf escaped from her sanctuary last year.

Nancy Jean Taylor, 67, entered the plea to the misdemeanor charge in Idaho’s 1st District Court, according to court records.

The wolf named Cryco escaped from Taylor’s wolf-viewing business along U.S. Highway 95 near Cocolalla in Bonner County sometime last June, authorities said.

The 14-year-old arctic wolf is still missing, according to the Wolf People website.

The escape was never reported to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, as required by state law, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported Tuesday.

Taylor previously told the newspaper she didn’t report the escape because she believed the wolf wouldn’t survive in the wild. It was raised in captivity and had renal failure, she said.

“He’s very sweet and loves people. That’s probably going to be his downfall,” Taylor said in October.

There were multiple sightings of the animal following its escape, and some neighbors said they were upset with Wolf People, which has existed for more than two decades in the Cocolalla area.

The business, which raises and breeds wolves, was formed in 1993 to educate the public.

A trial for Taylor has been scheduled for Sept. 9.