MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Seven gray wolves originally from Yellowstone National Park and wearing collars for research purposes have been shot by hunters in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in recent weeks, a park scientist said Thursday.
There has been no indication any of the wolves were taken illegally, said state officials and Dave Hallac, chief of Yellowstone’s Center for Resources.
Two of the animals were from packs that no longer spend most of their time in the park, but the remainder lived and denned primarily in Yellowstone, Hallac said. Four of the seven were shot in Montana, two in Wyoming and one in Idaho.
Wildlife advocates said Thursday the killings underscore the need for a buffer zone around Yellowstone, with strict limits on wolf hunting and trapping. They warned the number of dead park wolves could quickly climb once Montana’s trapping season begins next month.