Colorado will not see a third wave of paws on the ground this winter after its plans to fly more wolves into the state were scuttled by federal intervention and resistance from several other Western states to donate their animals.
The announcement from Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday came three months after the Trump administration blocked Colorado’s original plan to capture a second batch of wolves in British Columbia.
Colorado asked Washington state to supply wolves this winter as a backup option, but wildlife officials in the Pacific Northwest rejected that request.
Eric Odell, who manages Colorado’s wolf program, said in a statement Wednesday that it’s hard to predict how abandoning this winter’s wolf releases will impact restoration efforts.
“If mortality remains high, as observed in 2025, the risk of failing to achieve a self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado increases, potentially requiring additional resources to address,” he said.
CPW said it's continuing to explore options for additional wolf releases next winter.
Four wolf packs in Colorado have had offspring since the restoration effort began just over two years ago.
Parks and Wildlife said it’s still working to determine how many pups made it through the summer.
But Colorado's reintroduced wolves continue to die from a variety of causes, ranging from a mountain lion attack to shootings to protect livestock.
CPW announced Tuesday that a female wolf that was brought here from British Columbia died earlier this month in northwest Colorado. It’s the seventh from Canada to die.
Facing the prospect of a pause in additional wolves, wolf advocates told KUNC News earlier this month that Colorado should add new protections for its existing population of fewer than 50 wolves.
“Every means possible to prevent the need for lethal removal of wolves should be applied in every situation, because every single wolf on the ground in Colorado is now more genetically important to the long-term success of this program,” Rob Edward of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project said.
Meanwhile, CPW acting director Laura Clellan said efforts to prevent wolves from attacking livestock continue.
“Our team has invested in a significant conflict minimization program, and we look forward to exploring how we continue to improve this program with producers to protect both livestock and wolves," she said in a statement.
