Hunter Kills First Wolf in Grand Canyon in 70 Years

The first gray wolf seen near the Grand Canyon in 70 years was killed by a hunter in Utah in December, wildlife officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Echo the wolf — so-named last month in a nationwide student contest — is believed to have traveled at least 750 miles in search of a mate, including through the Grand Canyon region in northern Arizona where the last of its kind were killed off in the 1940s, the Denver Post reports.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said DNA tests confirmed the dead wolf’s identity after it was killed in Utah by a hunter who says he mistook it for a coyote. Gray wolves are considered endangered in southern Utah, and a spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service said the investigation into Echo’s death is ongoing, according to the Post.

[Denver Post]