A suspected gray wolf was killed in a coyote trap in Box Elder County in northern Utah earlier this week. A private trapper reported the animal to Utah Wildlife Services personnel who in turn contacted Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The animal which appeared to be a 3-year old mature male and is believed to be a disperser from the Yellowstone area was sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's forensic lab to confirm that it is a wolf and identify its origin and cause of death.
Wolves were reintroduced back into the Yellowstone and central Idaho area in 1995 and 1996. The number of wolves in Wyoming and Idaho are above recovery numbers and continue to do well. The gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains is being considered for delisting, but in order for Endangered Species Act protections to be removed, the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming each need to have adequate state management plans in place.
