The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services responded to reports of a predator killing five sheep in north-central Wyoming on Saturday. The agency found evidence pointing to a wolf attack, including bite marks and tracks, according to spokesperson Tanya Espinosa.
Later that day, the agency killed the wolf it believed was the culprit and discovered it had a collar from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Espinosa said. The wolf and collar were returned to the Colorado agency.
That agency said in a press release that a collar on a male gray wolf alerted the animal's death on Sunday in the same region of Wyoming. “Wolves are known to travel long distances to find food or mates, including into other states,” read the agency's statement.
The agency said the wolf had been transported from Canada, part of Colorado's ongoing reintroduction efforts after the first wolf paws touched down in December 2023.
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Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.