Young wolf mistaken for coyote shot, killed in Beaver County
Article by Amy Joi O'Donoghue | ksl.com
SALT LAKE CITY — State wildlife officials have confirmed that a young female wolf was shot and killed in Beaver County — the first documented killing of a wolf in Utah in several years.
The men saw what they thought was a coyote attacking a cow and shot and killed it Sunday night.
They found a collar on it, and wildlife officials said the collar was first attached to the animal for identification and tracking purposes in January 2014 in Cody, Wyoming.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said reports of wolf sightings are on the rise in Utah, but biologists have so far been unable to confirm if there are any breeding pairs or an actual pack.
In 2010, two wolves were killed after attacking Utah livestock. Most of the sightings have been in counties that border Idaho and Wyoming.
In Utah, ranchers may shoot wolves, but only in an area north of Interstate 80 and east of Interstate 84 to the Wyoming and Idaho lines.
In November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that a female northern Rockies gray wolf was roaming the North Kaibab National Forest near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
According to the division, the first modern wolf confirmed in Utah after being exterminated in the state was captured on Nov. 30, 2002. It was a collared animal from Yellowstone National Park, and it was returned to the park.
Since then, there have been scattered reports of wolves making short trips into Utah from Wyoming or Idaho.