Beenham pupils pay a visit to Torak

Children meet the wolf who escaped from his enclosure earlier this year

TORAK, the wolf who led police on a five-and-a-half-hour chase after escaping from his enclosure in Beenham earlier this year, was visited by some excited neighbours recently.

Year 3 pupils from Beenham Primary School were invited to visit the UK Wolf Conservation Trust to meet the wolves – including Torak – on Monday, April 30.

The school backs on to the trust and is located just an eight-minute walk south of the site.

The Alaskan timber wolf has become something of a celebrity after capturing media attention around the world when staff discovered him missing from his enclosure in January.

It sparked a search across West Berkshire’s countryside and schools were advised to keep children indoors, while people were told not to approach Torak if they spotted him.

Trust director Tsa Palmer wrote to the school and invited the pupils to visit.

Mrs Palmer also enclosed photographs and a biography of Torak, who now has a display dedicated to him in the school entrance.

The school has always enjoyed a close relationship with its neighbours and even adopted a wolf as its emblem.

The trust announced recently that it would be closing its doors to the public at the end of August.