DNA from an animal shot in 2021 has proven that wolves do occasionally traipse into New York.
It’s been more than 125 years since wolves truly lived in New York state — or anywhere in the Northeast. They were exterminated in the 1800s and scientists are not aware of any breeding groups here.
They have long suspected that lone wolves travel here from Canada. But photos and hunter reports have often been dismissed as coyotes mistaken for wolves…