DENVER — For the second time this year, a gray wolf that was translocated to Colorado from Canada as part of the second round of reintroductions has died in Wyoming.
WATCH: CPW: Second gray wolf brought to Colorado from Canada has died in Wyoming
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) sent a brief press release about the second death around 6:45 p.m. Friday, saying they had learned about the male wolf's death in Wyoming on April 9. The wolf was part of the 15 animals — which included seven males — that had been captured in British Columbia earlier this year and brought to Colorado.
CPW coordinated with Wyoming Game and Fish to obtain the wolf's GPS collar. Wyoming state law prevents other details from being shared, CPW said.
When the first translocated wolf died in Wyoming on March 16, a CPW spokesperson told Denver7 that the animals' collars can be refurbished for future use. CPW told us that the body of that wolf — also a male — was returned to Colorado "because it was a wolf released by CPW during our 2025 reintroduction effort. CPW staff will examine the animal for research and educational purposes." It's not clear if this is the same for this second wolf, but Denver7 has reached out to CPW to confirm.
Because this mortality happened outside Colorado, CPW did not have any other comment on the development.
As of Friday evening, the number of known wolves in Colorado is as follows:
- 7 wolves surviving from the original 10 that were released in December 2023
- Five wolf pups born in the spring of 2024
- 13 wolves surviving from the 15 that were released in January 2025 (one was shot and killed by Wildlife Services in Wyoming earlier this month, and this report is about the second death in Wyoming)
- Two wolves that moved south from Wyoming several years ago (both collared)
- One uncollared wolf that was last known to be in northwest Moffat County in mid-February
- Possible, but unconfirmed, wolf in the Browns Park area
Want to learn more about Colorado's wolf reintroduction? You can explore the timeline below, which outlines all of Denver7's coverage since the very beginning. The timeline starts with our most recent story.
The 15 wolves brought to Colorado from Canada came from an area where there is no overlap between wolves and livestock, CPW has reiterated. This was a focus for the second round of reintroductions after hearing concerns from the public in the wake of the first reintroduction in December 2023. However, when wolves share the landscape with livestock, some sort of conflict is expected, the agency added.
CPW stressed that wolves travel long distances in search of food or mates.
As of late March, a wolf or wolves appear to have moved a little away from the Utah-Colorado border, left Teller County, continued to explore northern Colorado and entered the western edge of Clear Creek County. This marked the first time since the wolf reintroduction efforts began in December 2023 that a collared wolf has been recorded in west Clear Creek County.
No other wolf releases are planned for 2025.
CPW keeps a list of confirmed wolf depredations in Colorado on a public document, and 2024 ended with 17 incidents and 27 killed or seriously injured livestock.
So far this year, CPW has confirmed the following depredations:
- A wolf kill in early February in Jackson County
- One yearling heifer depredation in Pitkin County
- One dog depredation in Jackson County
CPW and its partners, which include the Colorado Department of Agriculture, USDA's Wildlife Services, Colorado State University Extension and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, are working to teach Colorado livestock producers about the state's conflict minimization guide, and the resources available to them to keep wolves away from their livestock. The guide was published in early January.
You can read it at this link or in the embedded document below.
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