Collier County sanctuary’s wolfdog that went viral dies

A wolfdog that went viral last year because of his impressive size has passed away from blood cancer, the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Collier County said Thursday.

“This morning during our rounds, Yuki didn’t come up for his medicine. When we entered his enclosure, we found that he had passed away,” the sanctuary said on Twitter. “He left peacefully on his own terms sometime during the night.”

“Yuki” became an international sensation after the sanctuary posted a photo of him on their Facebook page. It helped raise awareness about wolves and the sanctuary, which saw an increase in visitors both online and in person.

“Yuki’s legacy reaches around the world due to his unique personality and size. Many people saw and came to know him as the ‘dire wolf’ in the viral photo 2 years ago.”

Yuki came to the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in 2008 after his owner could no longer care for him.

“Yuki is very much a ‘ham’ and loves to be the center of attention. He has shown us that he doesn’t like to hear ‘NO’, doesn’t like to be restrained or controlled in any way, and does have a number of triggers. Volunteers need to be able to read his body language and react quickly as he doesn’t always give a warning when ‘Mr. Hyde’ is going to appear,” the sanctuary says on its website. “Yuki is a ladies man and a select group of female volunteers have been allowed in what we call his ‘harem’. It is an honor and at any given time he can decide someone is kicked out of the harem, and sadly for the volunteer, it usually means they are out for good. He has, however, met his match in little Bella… as she can and does take food right out of his mouth!”

Bella is his pack-mate, and the sanctuary said Thursday that she appears to be “doing okay although we know she misses her friend.”

Shy Wolf Sanctuary said in their Twitter post that they were told three years ago that Yuki didn’t have long to live after his diagnosis with hemangiosarcoma, a blood cancer.

We have some very sad news to share about our beloved wolfdog, Yuki.
He was loved by millions all over the world🖤 #rip #RestInPeaceYuki #wolfdog #weloveyou pic.twitter.com/fnZSAHhi1f

— Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education & Experience Center (@ShyWolfSanct) November 12, 2020