UPDATE: Fish and Game officials say dead wolf was really a wolf-dog hybrid and someone’s pet
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UPDATE:
Fish and Game has since learned that the deceased animal is a wolf-hybrid. The owner of the dog learned of the incident via Facebook and has confirmed the animal as her missing 10-year old adult female wolf-hybrid.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The following is a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
PRESTON — The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is investigating the death of a wolf following a collision with a vehicle.
Officers report early Friday morning, a Franklin County resident accidentally hit and killed a large canid with his vehicle on Idaho Highway 36 between Williams Creek and the parking lot at Emigration Summit. Suspecting the deceased animal was a wolf, the motorist reported the incident to Fish and Game.
Senior Conservation Officer Nathan Stohosky says that the 82-pound animal appears to be a gray wolf — an older female with worn teeth. However, based on a few of its characteristics, the possibility the animal is a hybrid cannot be ruled out. An examination did not reveal any tattoos on the animal’s gums or ears which is required of wolf hybrids owned as pets.
Tissue samples were collected and have been sent to a lab for genetic testing to enable positive identification of the animal.
The motorist was allowed to keep the road-killed animal per Fish and Game’s salvage rules which require individuals who pick up wildlife roadkill to complete a salvage report.
Gray wolves are classified as a big game species in Idaho.
In the Southeast Region, transient wolves are occasionally observed moving through the area. However, based on extensive trail camera surveys, aerial surveys, and information collected from hunters, there have been no established wolf packs or breeding pairs documented by Fish and Game in this part of the state.