I think the father was stupid for not doing his research on his pet before getting it.
I visited a wolf sanctuary last Summer. They have a wolf that was a gift to a teenaged girl from her parents. The girl was obsessed with wolves but was angry with the parents because she knew what was necessary to care for one. She immediately had them hire a contractor to build an enclosure that exceeded the standards used by wolf rescues. She also spent time with it every day.
When it was time for her to leave for college she arranged to donate the wolf to the sanctuary. At first they said they didn’t have any room so her family donated the money (about $40,000) to build an additional enclosure (they’re kept individually or in pairs). Then they said they couldn’t ship the wolf so the family flew it from Montana to Texas on their private jet.
The wolf has a trust fund.