Wolf Shot In Utah Was Previously First Wolf Spotted In Northern Arizona In More Than 70 Years

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal wildlife officials say DNA tests confirm a wolf accidently shot by a hunter in Utah was the same one seen in the Grand Canyon area last year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday the 3-year-old female killed in late December was the first wolf seen in northern Arizona in more than 70 years.

Spokesman Steve Segin says geneticists at the University of Idaho compared the DNA from the northern gray wolf killed in southwestern Utah with samples taken from the wolf seen near the Grand Canyon last fall.

Officials have said the Utah hunter mistook the wolf for a coyote. Wolves are protected in Utah under the Endangered Species Act, and officials are investigating the death.

The wolf had worn a radio collar since January 2014.