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.