Giant wolf-like animal dumped at kill shelter isn't what you think

NAPLES, Fla. — An enormous wolf-like animal dumped at a kill shelter when he was just a puppy will live out his remaining days at a wolf sanctuary in Naples, Florida.

>> Read more trending news

In fact, the animal, named Yuki, has always lived at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary.

The sanctuary got a call from the shelter in 2008 about an 8-month-old puppy that had been dropped off by its owner who said the animal “was much larger than he had anticipated it growing, and that he couldn’t handle the dog.”

"We stepped in and provided a home for him and he has been with us ever since," sanctuary volunteer Brittany Allen told Bored Panda.

When sanctuary officials tested the animal, they discovered he wasn’t 100 percent wolf, although he looked like a wolf..

“His DNA testing came back as 87.5 percent gray wolf, 8.6 percent Siberian husky and 3.9 percent German shepherd," the sanctuary said.

A photo of Yuki looking humongous went viral last month, and while he is a big guy at 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds, the sanctuary said on its social media page that the angle of the photo makes Yuki look even larger. The sanctuary denied accusations that it had doctored the picture.

"It's not photoshopped … just a weird angle," Allen said on social media.

The sanctuary has been fielding adoption requests about Yuki, who is not available.

View this post on Instagram

The face we make when people say Yuki's picture is Photoshopped... It's just his fat angle guys. We all have one. 🙄 #wolfdogsofinstagram #yuki #shywolfsanctuary #rescue #love #bekindtoanimals If you feel generous and want to help us with Yuki's vet bills, please feel free the check out the link in bio.
A post shared by Brittany Allen (@brit_allen_) on Feb 26, 2019 at 7:05am PST

"I am 12 years old and terminally ill, so I will be staying at Shy Wolf with my pack friend Bella in our enclosure," the sanctuary posted on Facebook.

Yuki has terminal blood cancer and “has been fighting it for quite a while now,” sanctuary officials said.

The Shy Wolf Sanctuary was founded in 2001 on 2.5 acres and provides sanctuary and rehabilitation to wild and captive-bred wolves and other exotic animals, according to its website.