Animals from the wild may be returning in Iowa after a gray wolf was shot by a hunter in the area.
Results of the DNA testing have confirmed that the animal that was killed by a coyote hunter in February was indeed a gray wolf. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that the animal that was shot belongs to the animal group of Canis lupus. The said kind of animal is said to be spotted for the first time in the state since 1925, however, it is now dead.
The hunter, whose name was not revealed, killed a female coyote-like animal near Fairbank in northwest Buchanan County sometime in February. Upon closer examination, the hunter thought that the animal may have been a wolf. He then brought it to the DNR office in Manchester wherein it was examined and a DNA sample was taken for testing.
The animal identified as a gray wolf that was shot months ago was estimated to be around 65-70 pounds and was believed that it traveled from south of Wisconsin or Minnesota. The hunter has been cooperative with the authorities and is believed to commit a genuine mistake since he didn't know that it was a wolf. Hunting for wolves in the said state is extremely illegal as they are considered as protected species.
Species of the gray wolf were previously present in the state, but people living in the area kills them since they are considered as a threat to the human population. In 1925, a timber wolf was also shot although it was not confirmed if it was wild. With the roving of wolves previously spotted in Missouri and Illinois in 2012, Iowa's DNR already speculated that it may cross the line.
After what happened to the gray wolf, hunters are now being warned to think first before they take a shot. As of January 2014, hunters reportedly killed 2,567 grey wolves in US's lower 48 states.
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