A wolf that was recently shot and killed in Wyoming could be the same one spotted in Nebraska last year.
According to the Cowboy State Daily, two electricians in Kimball County, Nebraska spotted a wolf last October. That claim is backed by area ranchers who also recalled spotting a wolf in the rural, southern-Panhandle county earlier this year.
Fast forward to January 2026, where Wyoming rancher, Royce Breeden shot and killed a wolf on his property in Laramie County. Since Laramie County is only about 30 miles from Bushnell, Nebraska, many residents speculate that the wolf is the same one that was spotted last October.
Regardless of where the wolf has been, the looming question is where the wolf relocated from. Colorado has been identified as a likely source after the state began reintroducing wolves in 2023–seemingly to the dismay of Colorado farmers and ranchers. If a Colorado-based wolf problem bleeds across state lines, the controversy could only grow.
Contrary to concerns about wolves returning to the high plains, there are still many supporters wishing to protect the predators.
[Unaffiliated Photo] A wolf makes its way across a road in Yellowstone National Park. (Jacob W. Frank/Courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service via Nebraska Examiner)
In 2024, a Wyoming man was arrested after video appeared to show Cody Roberts binding a wolf that he ran over with a snowmobile. Roberts also took the animal to a local bar before he killed it. Roberts recently took a plea deal that could save him from jail time in exchange for up to 2 years of supervised probation and a $1,000 fine.
Nonetheless, outraged members of the public called Wyoming’s wildlife laws into question and argued that the punishment was still too lenient.
