Famous Yellowstone wolf fatally shot

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CODY, Wyo., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A wolf described as "the most famous in the world" was shot and killed outside Yellowstone National Park, officials in Wyoming said.

The wolf, known as 832F to researchers, was found dead Thursday, The New York Times reported.

"She is the most famous wolf in the world," said Jimmy Jones, a Los Angeles wildlife photographer whose portrait of 832F appears in the current issue of the magazine "American Scientist."

This fall, Wyoming authorized the wolf hunts for the first time in 10 years.

Since then, eight wolves that researchers had captured and released with GPS tracking devices have been shot and killed by hunters just outside Yellowstone in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Many ranchers and hunters say wolf hunts are a good way to keep the large population of wolves in the Rockies under control, but researchers have been dismayed.