JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The state Conservation Department says a canine shot by a hunter in central Missouri last fall turned out to be a wolf.
The hunter who shot the animal in Howard County in October thought it was a coyote, but the Conservation Department said Wednesday the remains are actually those of a gray wolf.
Gray wolves have not lived in Missouri since the late 1800s, but some have wandered in from northern states.
Conservation officials said a DNA test on the Howard County wolf confirms it came from Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan.
Officials say there's no evidence that the gray wolf is repopulating in Missouri.