CPW report details capture and release, first few months of wolf reintroduction program

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife released a snapshot of the first few months of the state’s gray wolf reintroduction program, sharing information from April 1, 2023, through March 21, 2024.

Colorado’s gray wolf reintroduction program has been underway for years — voters approved the reintroduction efforts in 2020, but the first 10 wolves were released into Summit and Grand counties in December 2023. Historically, wolves ranged throughout all corners of the state, according to CPW, and the goal of reintroduction efforts is to create a self-sustaining population within Colorado.

Colorado wolf spends time in Rocky Mountain National Park

The agency decided to publish its annual report on the reintroduction program based on the 2023-2024 biological year — April marks the beginning of wolf mating season and the start of the biological cycle. That means all wolf activity that occurred after March 31 was not included in the annual report but will be included in the second report.

All ten wolves that were released into Colorado were obtained through an agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, with eight wolves released in Grand County and two released in Summit. Of the wolves, six were female and four were male. All of them were released on state lands, west of the Continental Divide, with a 60-mile buffer from Tribal lands to the south and similar buffers to the northern and western borders of the state.

The reintroduction process will go on for 3-5 years, according to the annual report, depending on how many wolves can be reintroduced annually and how many wolves survive. The report did not discuss where future wolves might be sourced.

All of the wolves had to meet certain requirements: They had to be 1-5 years old; not be breeding; had to have at least three functional canine teeth; had to have both eyes present and functional, no injuries or missing limbs; and not have transmittable health issues, like lice or heartworm. All of the reintroduced wolves were fitted with GPS collars, although two are no longer transmitting.

With those ten reintroduced wolves, Colorado had 12 known wolves within its borders as of March 31. Since March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed one wolf was killed by a mountain lion. However, for the 2023-2024 biological year, there were no deaths, and no reproductive events (the wolf pups in Grand County were not discovered until later in the year).

CPW has also been actively responding to requests for conflict minimization measures and received 24 requests for such tools/projects. There were 20 approved non-lethal tool deployments, with 17 in Jackson County, two in Grand and one in Routt County.

Divided response after Copper Creek wolf pack relocation

By the end of the 2023-2024 reporting period, CPW has confirmed three wolf depredations, or attacks on livestock. The affected livestock producer filed a claim and was given $489 for the three sheep killed.

CPW’s annual report also discussed “take permits.” The agency said that it received requests for lethal take permits during 2023-2024, first from a North Park producer and second from the North Park Stockgrowers Association. CPW said it consulted with USFWS and the two agencies deemed the situation to not be chronic.

“Therefore, it would not be appropriate for a landowner to request a Chronic Depredation permit,” the annual report states.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.