Count Nebraska as among the latest states to confirm a wolf within its borders. Federal officials say a rancher monitoring his livestock who thought he was shooting a coyote, instead shot and killed a small wolf near Bassett, a small town in the northern part of the state about 240 miles northwest of Omaha.
The incident marks the second time in the last century wildlife officials confirmed a wolf in Nebraska.
“This is something that has been happening in all the surrounding states,” Sam Wilson, furbearer and carnivore manager for Nebraska Game and Parks, told the Omaha World Herald. “We do expect from time to time that we’ll see dispersing wolves here. Some will walk a really long ways as they look for new territory.”
Testing reportedly shows the wolf wandered into Nebraska from the Great Lakes region. Investigators did not prosecute the rancher.
(Photo source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)