Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed it has released 15 additional wolves into the state. The agency said the animals were captured in British Columbia, Canada.
Get top headlines and KUNC reporting directly to your mailbox each week when you subscribe to In The NoCo.
The agency said the process took six days. It included finding healthy animals free of injuries and issues such as mange. Veterinarians then checked each animal, administered vaccines, and fitted them with a radio-tracking collar.
The wolves chosen for the program live in an area where they are used to help support caribou recovery. British Columbia officials and local First Nations people were involved in the process and helped plan the capture of the animals.
The state of Colorado began actively reintroducing wolves into the state after voters approved the plan in 2020. However, that plan has come with controversy, especially from concerned ranchers and other livestock owners. Since the first wolves were introduced in 2023, CPW has worked with landowners to protect livestock.
The new wolves from Canada are in an area free of any livestock. Wildlife officials hope this will help with “concerns that the wolves selected have been involved in repeated livestock depredations.”
“As restoration efforts continue, CPW is committed to working with livestock owners, communities, state agencies and all partners to reduce the likelihood of wolf-livestock conflict,” CPW Director Jeff Davis said in a press release. “Our goal is to keep ranchers ranching, while at the same time restoring a healthy, sustainable population of gray wolves to Colorado as mandated.”
During the process, one of the wolves initially captured died. CPW’s press release suggests the animal’s age and condition was a factor in the death.
The animals were held in pens until 15 healthy wolves were captured, which included seven males and eight females. They were flown to Colorado before being released in Pitkin and Eagle counties.
The entire process remained secret during the operation because of safety concerns. CPW said the agency received numerous threats over the phone and through social media against both the wolves and their staff.
So far, two of the 10 wolves from the initial release in 2023 have been illegally shot and killed. Gray wolves are a federally protected species and killing one can lead to jail time or fines up to $100,000.
Officials said this recent release is the only operation planned for this year and is the second of three to five releases aimed at bringing back a thriving wolf operation.