Wildlife officials: Young female wolf spotted, killed in Utah’s Beaver County

Yellowstone National Park, File, Associated Press.This image provided by Yellowstone National Park shows a wolf walking through the snow in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. 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.

This is heartbreaking. This young female escaped the killing fields of Wyoming to find a better life only to be met by more sociopaths in the state of Utah.  This comes as no surprise with elected officials such as–  SENATOR ORRIN HATCH [R] SENATOR MIKE LEE [R] REP. ROB BISHOP [R] who has been fighting to gut the ESA for some time now. Bishop even said he would like to do away with Endangered Species Act altogether.  REP. CHRIS STEWART [R] Stewart authored the recent Amendment in the House that would lead to 46,000 healthy wild horses & burros in BLM holding facilities and tens of thousands more on public lands being “euthanized” (slaughtered) 

It’s time for us to get rid of all the anti-wildlife, public land gutting, and ruthless politicians!  We also need to put the Indian Trust to work! Protect the Wolves can fight the states that slaughter all our Sacred Species. Let’s not wait another day >>> http://protectthewolves.com/donate/

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 were hunting coyotes when they shot and killed the animal Sunday night near the south end of the Tushar Mountains.

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 northern gray wolf was about 3 years old, and officials are terming the killing a case a mistaken identity.

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.

“I think it was very sad a wolf was killed,” said Kirk Robinson with Western Wildlife Conservancy. “This is suspect.”

Robinson blamed the shooting on the state’s coyote bounty, in which hunters can collect cash for killing the predators.

In Utah, ranchers may shoot wolves, but only in an area north of I-80 and east of I-84 to the Wyoming and Idaho lines. The animal is protected under the Endangered Species Act, although there has been a concerted campaign by ranchers and others to get it removed altogether from being listed.

In November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorities 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 wildlife officials, the first modern wolf confirmed in Utah after the species was exterminated from 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.

Although wolves have failed to take up permanent residency in the state, Utah lawmakers have not taken any chances of a probable return and want federal restrictions lifted.

The state has spent $800,000 to get the animal delisted, hiring a lobbyist to work politicians in Washington, D.C., and bureaucrats with the U.S. Department of Interior.

Email: amyjoi@deseretnews.com