Wolves

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 and fly them to the state.

Facing the prospect of a pause in additional wolves, wolf advocates say Colorado should add new protections for its existing population of less than 50 wolves.

Proponents of Colorado’s wolf restoration program have a tangible way to show off their support while driving. It’s a specialty license plate that reads “Born to Be Wild.” The money it generates helps provide ranchers with nonlethal tools to keep wolves from preying on their livestock. And so far the license plate has been a success – even in places that said “no” to wolves at the ballot box.

Reintroduced in 2023, gray wolves have spread out across western Colorado, exploring wild landscapes and preying on elk, deer, and occasionally — livestock. To address the problem, Colorado is piloting a program that sends "range riders" to patrol lands where wolves are preying on livestock.

The Colorado delegation split completely by party, with Republicans voting for the bill, and Democrats against.

Colorado’s program to restore gray wolves hit some snags recently. One of the biggest concerns is that state wildlife officials don’t know where the next set of wolves to be released here will come from. It’s a serious challenge at a moment when survival rates for the wolves are lower than Colorado officials had hoped.

Washington officials cited a recent decline of their own wolf population as a reason to oppose the request.

The Trump administration could be inching toward delisting the species from the endangered species list.

The Trump administration is telling the state of Colorado it can no longer import wolves from Canada. That's according to a recent letter to Colorado wildlife officials from Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Since Colorado began its wolf reintroduction program two years ago, wildlife officials have worked to find non-lethal ways to stop wolves from attacking livestock. One promising strategy encourages more ranchers to use very large dogs called Turkish Boz Shepherds to guard their flocks and keep wolves away.