Endangered red wolves are being killed in North Carolina after being mistaken for coyotes

In response to several cases of the accidental shooting of North Carolina's endangered red wolves, which hunters often mistake for coyotes, a federal judge ordered a stop to coyote hunting in the northeastern part of the state, reports The Associated Press. Dare, Hyde, Beaufort, Tyrrell and Washington counties are home to the world's only wild population of the wolves.

At least 50 red wolves are believed to have been killed from gunshots since 2008, and since 2012 five hunters have told authorities that they mistakenly killed a red wolf, believing it to be a coyote, Karen Chavez reports for the Citizen Times.

"In 2012, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission passed the rule giving farmers, ranchers and private landowners the ability to control the destructive impacts of coyotes and feral hogs by allowing them to hunt at night with a light on private land," Chavez writes. The rule went into effect in August of that year." (Read more)

Last year the commission voted "to allow coyote hunting at any time of day with no bag limit on private land and on public land even at night with lights if the hunter has a permit," AP reports.