A gray wolf killed by a Utah hunter may have been Echo, a female who attracted national attention after wandering through several states to become the first of the protected animals seen at Arizona's Grand Canyon in 70 years, officials said on Tuesday.
The hunter, who was not named by authorities, told Utah wildlife officers on Sunday that he accidentally shot and killed a wolf equipped with a radio collar near the Arizona border after mistaking it for a coyote.
Wolves in Utah are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, which bans killing of imperiled animals without a special permit, but coyotes are allowed to be shot on sight.