Ill-fated wolf no. 13, shot near Salmon, Idaho, on Jan. 29, did *not* kill rancher Gene Hussey's calf, it was reported in the Idaho Falls Post-Register Sunday.As part of a larger story on unrest in Custer and Lemhi counties, the newspaper stated that autopsies, "including one conducted by the University of Oregon's School of Veterinary Medicine -- indicate the dead wolf did not kill the calf as earlier believed."
The newspaper reported that David Klinger, a US Fish and Wildlife spokesman in Portland said, "The calf is believed to have been stillborn or to have died from natural causes shortly after its birth."
Dr. Robert Cope, the Salmon, Idaho vet who first examined the animal, disagreed in the sense with the autopsy's conclusion to the degree that the animal was not stillborn because its lungs were filled with air.
The controversy over the wolf reemerged late last week as armed agents of the Fish and Wildlife service searched for bullets or spent cartridges on the land of rancher Hussey.
) 1995 Ralph Maughan
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