Wily wolf-dog, dubbed WD-40, gives rescuers the slip on Vancouver Island

A large wolf-dog mix-breed is shown in this Nov. 10, 2023 handout photo in the Coombs area of Vancouver Island, B.C. Residents in southeastern Vancouver Island are being asked to keep an eye out for a large wolf-dog mix-breed that has been wandering around for nearly two months but skilfully avoiding all attempts to trap it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Find Lost and Escaped Dogs

Coombs, B.C. -

Residents in southeastern Vancouver Island are being asked to keep an eye out for a large wolf-dog mix-breed that has been wandering around for nearly two months but skillfully avoiding all attempts to trap it.

Gary Shade, co-founder of Find Lost and Escaped Dogs Vancouver Island, says his organization has provided a large trap and camera to try to catch the animal that has approached other dogs and horses over 68 hectares near Coombs, B.C.

He says it's believed the approximately 68-kilogram dog was abandoned at the end of September and may have been at least partially domesticated before becoming too much for its owner.

Shade says the animal was first spotted by a local woman who has her own pack of wolf-dogs but she was unable to catch it and her trap was damaged when it accidentally trapped a bear cub instead.

When it is caught, the dog will either be added to the woman's pack or sent to a sanctuary in Alberta, but for now Shade says residents should keep their pets on a leash and report any sightings.

The dog has been dubbed WD-40 by rescuers, as it has approached the trap multiple times but always manages to slip away despite the enticing aroma of beef, tripe and other smelly goodies left out.

Shade says that makes it different from the domestic variety his organization is normally called in to help find.

"With domestic dogs, you can just throw a cheeseburger in there, or a piece of pepperoni, and they'll dive in after about three or four days," he said.

"This guy walks around and looks at it, and surveys the situation and leaves."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023