New Mexico man pleads guilty to killing Mexican gray wolf

Crime

Posted: May 25, 2018 / 10:08 PM MDT / Updated: May 25, 2018 / 10:08 PM MDT

FILE – In this Dec. 7, 2011, file photo, a female Mexican gray wolf at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central N.M. Wildlife managers, conservationists and business interests are meeting in Denver as the Western Governors Association looks for ways to change the way endangered species are protected. Theyll spend Wednesday, March 9, 2016, […]

A New Mexico man has pleaded guilty to killing an endangered Mexican gray wolf.

Craig Thiessen, 46, of Catron County admits he intentionally caught the wolf in a trap in the Gila National Forest, then hit the animal with a shovel.

He says he knew it was a Mexican gray wolf because of its tracking collar.

After his guilty plea, Thiessen was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay $2,300 in restitution to the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program.