A 70-pound female wolf was shot and killed Jan. 25 by a coyote hunter in Roberts County.

Wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act and state law, and it is illegal to kill them, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state Game, Fish and Parks Department officials.

People who plan to hunt coyotes in northeastern South Dakota, particularly in northern Roberts County, must make sure the animal is definitely a coyote and not a wolf.