No charges for Colorado hunter who mistakenly killed gray wolf
By Keith Coffman
DENVER (Reuters) - Federal wildlife officials said on Monday that a Colorado hunter who shot and killed a protected gray wolf that he mistook for a coyote will not face criminal charges, in a decision that angered conservationists.
Prosecutors declined to press charges against the hunter for the April killing after a joint investigation conducted by federal and state authorities concluded that he did not intend to shoot the wolf, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement.
It is illegal to kill wolves without a special permit in most of the Lower 48 states, where the animals are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Authorities allow the animals to be legally hunted in Idaho and Montana.
The Endangered Species Act imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly violates the federal law.
"Our investigation determined that the shooting resulted from misidentification rather than the intentional take of a protected species," said Dan Rolince, the fish and wildlife service's regional assistant special agent in charge.
The man, who has not been named, was legally hunting coyotes near the town of Kremmling when he shot the wolf, the statement said.
When the hunter realized his mistake he immediately notified Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials, authorities said, adding that DNA testing performed at a forensic laboratory in Oregon confirmed it was a gray wolf.
Michael Robinson, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the shooter violated the first rule of hunting by not identifying his target before firing.
"The Justice Department should resume prosecuting those who kill endangered wildlife, and the Interior Department should develop a national wolf recovery plan to ensure that the fate of wolves in an entire state cannot be determined by any number of negligent or rogue shooters," he said.
Robinson said "the word is out" among people who illegally kill wolves that they can avoid prosecution by claiming that they thought they were shooting a coyote.
(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)
