ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Field staff for state and federal wildlife agencies trapped, collared and released what is believed to be an adult male gray wolf east of Burlington near Marblemount, officials say.

Wolves are federally listed as endangered species in the western two-thirds of Washington and protected statewide by Washington endangered species rules.

The wolf was found and captured last week after reports of wolf tracks, howling and chickens being attacked, the Skagit Valley Herald reports.

Although several other collared wolves have been monitored in Western Washington, this animal is the first gray wolf to be caught and fitted with a GPS collar on the West Side, says Craig Bartlett, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife spokesman.

Blood and saliva were taken from the animal and sent to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensic lab to confirm whether the animal is a full-blooded wolf and to help determine its origin.