Alaskan city concerned about black wolf

JUNEAU, Alaska, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Residents of Juneau, Alaska, say the current whereabouts of a black wolf that earned local celebrity status remain unknown.

Harry Robinson, a Juneau man who took walks with Romeo before the black wolf disappeared last September, said he is holding out hope he simply ran away with a gray wolf spotted in the area at the time, the Juneau (Alaska) Empire reported Saturday.

"I'm working on the supposition, an off-chance, that some type of female that came through the area was appealing to him," Robinson said.

Romeo first arrived in the Juneau area in 2003 and quickly became a local celebrity thanks to the animal's friendly nature, even when attacked by area dogs.

"The thing that impressed me most about him was his non-aggressiveness, or his turn-the-other-cheek sort of attitude that he had," photographer John Hyde said.

While some residents remain hopeful about Romeo's whereabouts, biologist Steve Lewis suspects the wolf simply died of natural causes at an age estimated to be between 7 or 8 years old.

"My guess is that he's probably dead ... . He just died from being a wolf," Lewis told the Empire.