A mukbang (short for eating broadcast) video of Neukgu, the wolf that escaped from Daejeon O-World and was captured alive after 9 days, is drawing high view counts.
On the 22nd, O-World's social media shows that a 1-minute-34-second video posted on the 20th of Neukgu eating food surpassed 1,464,000 views as of 11:30 a.m. that day.
A video O-World posted the previous day of Neukgu eating on the 21st has also been viewed more than 312,000 times as of now. Combined views of the two videos have surpassed 1.7 million. Considering that O-World's previous videos drew about 10,000 to 100,000 views, it is proof of the high interest in Neukgu.
Comments on the video include, "Just watching Neukgu eat makes me feel full," "Seeing Neukgu brings a natural mom smile," and "I want to hurry to Daejeon to see Neukgu."
However, scenes in the video of Neukgu eating raw chicken or ground beef placed on the floor also came under scrutiny. People who call themselves "Neukgu moms" raised hygiene concerns, asking, "Why give it on the bare floor instead of in a bowl?"
O-World responded with a news release to explain. Daejeon City Corporation, which manages O-World, said in the release, "For wild animals like wolves, the animal welfare manual does not provide separate containers." Because predatory wolves tend to carry their food to a safe place and tear at it, the point was that it is actually appropriate to offer food on the floor.
Neukgu is currently reported to have recovered to about 80% of usual strength while consuming 1.5–2 kilograms of raw meat a day. O-World plans to return Neukgu from a temporary isolation space to the "wolf safari," where companions are, as soon as conditions are restored.