DILLON, Mont. (AP)--A rancher in southwestern Montana recently shot and killed a wolf while it was chasing livestock, becoming the first person to do so legally under new federal rules, a state wolf specialist said.

The new federal rules allow killing of a wolf attacking or chasing livestock.

"It worked just the way it was supposed to," said Liz Bradley, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf management specialist for southwest Montana.

The shooting occurred in mid-March on a ranch between Wisdom and Wise River, in Montana's Big Hole Valley.

Bradley said the rancher, who asked not to be named, saw a pair of wolves chasing his cattle through a pasture near his house and shot one of them. He reported the incident immediately, she said.

Under the new rules implemented in late 2004, the burden of proof remains with the person shooting the wolf. People killing a wolf are required to report the incident within 24 hours.

"This rancher did everything right," said Bradley. "He reported it right away and it was taken care of quickly."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the shooting.

The wolf that was killed was probably the alpha male of a pack of about five, said Bradley. Two others were killed in February after the pack attacked and killed a horse on a ranch near Wisdom.

The wolf killed by the rancher was collared in Idaho. In 2003, it moved to the Paradise Valley in Montana and then evidently later made its way to the Big Hole region. Bradley said she wasn't sure how long the wolf had been in the area.

Date: 3/23/05