In 2012, when Takaya was two years old, he left his pack behind and traveled over through urban and suburban areas. He then swam almost through strong currents to reach a small archipelago located off the southeastern tip of
Vancouver Island which is accessible by boat or kayak from the nearby city of
Victoria. When Takaya was first spotted on the islands, officials closed the provincial park. Conservation officers attempted to trap the wolf, speculating that if he remained on the island, he would become too comfortable around people.
Living in the islands Takaya proceeded to live by himself in the islands for the next eight years. During this time, Alexander began to study Takaya seriously. She traveled out to the islands regularly, with special permission from the
Songhees, to photograph the wolf and observe his behaviour. She set up trail cameras around his territory and recorded over one thousand hours of video footage. Takaya developed skills such as catching and skinning
seals, hunting for
prickleback fish, and stealing eggs from the nests of
Canada geese. He also learned how to dig for fresh water during periods of drought, surprising biologists like Chris Darimont, who stated that Takaya pushed the boundaries of what scientists believed to be ecologically possible. Conservation officers closed the park for several months in order to assess whether the wolf posed a risk to humans. Alexander worried that the campers had imperiled Takaya's future on the islands by creating the perception that he was a danger to humans. The provincial government reopened the park for day use only and reiterated that dogs and other pets were not permitted on the island. Alexander suggested that he may have been swept ashore while swimming between islands. Alternatively, he may have left the island to search for a mate. A month later, at the end of February 2020, Alexander received a message from a woman who believed that she had spotted Takaya near the urban area of
Port Renfrew. Later, she received a photograph of a wolf from a farmer who lived in the same area. == Legacy ==