A pack of wolves abandoned after Hurricane Ike is now resting comfortably in Central Texas. The Austin Zoo traveled to Southeast Texas to pick up the family of four wolf hybrids - mixtures of wolves and canines. They arrived at the zoo Thursday night, after spending months without proper care in the wake of the hurricane last September.
"Just like moving a couch," joked head zookeeper Sara King as she helped transport the wolf crates down to the animals' new enclosure.
Soon the wolves will have their run of a 1/3 acre lot, a far cry from their old life near Beaumont. Their owner of 8 years didn't come back after Ike devastated the area.
"The parents of the owner were coming out to feed them every other day, a little bit of dog kibble," said King. "But these guys were desperately wanting food. They were eating plastic off the ground."
CBS 42 is told the wolves actually started digging out of their former pen by the time Austin zookeepers arrived in Southeast Texas to rescue them, after a call from the Humane Society.
"They definitely are sore from being sedated and from being in a crate, which we had to transport them in," said King. "But I think they're going to be a lot happier here, for sure."
Vets will come in Friday to look over the wolves, which join more than 300 other animals at the Austin Zoo, most of them rescues too.
"This is a really big need, and people would be amazed at how many of these situations are occurring right now all over Texas," said King.
Under the care of the Austin Zoo, the wolves have already received preliminary medical workups and vaccinations.
They go on display Friday.
