COLORADO — Shortly after its January release in Colorado, one of the state’s new gray wolves went west and nearly crossed over state lines into Utah.
“The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) was alerted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials on Jan. 29 that one of the recently released GPS-collared wolves was approaching the Utah border west of Fruita,” said Faith Jolley, spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
“Based on that information, plans were put in place to capture the wolf and return it to Colorado, if it entered Utah. However, before reaching the border, the wolf changed course. As a result, no action was taken by DWR staff.”
Jolley said the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is continuing to coordinate closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
According to the most recent collared gray wolf activity map released Wednesday by CPW, it was clear at least one wolf had wandered close to the Utah border in Mesa County and other activity close to Wyoming.
The shaded portions of the map represent watersheds and don’t necessarily mean a wolf or wolves were present in the entire highlighted areas.
Earlier this week, CPW wouldn’t confirm if any wolf had crossed into other states, saying the agency doesn’t comment on wolf activity outside of Colorado.
That lone wolf to the west was one of the 15 newly reintroduced wolves from British Columbia that had just been released in mid-January in Eagle and Pitkin Counties. It took the wolf only about two weeks to get close to the Utah border.
Since reintroduction efforts began in 2023, CPW has said wolves are anticipated to expand their distribution throughout the state widely over time. There are now 29 collared gray wolves in Colorado, with more possibly migrating from Wyoming.
According to CPW, agreements are in place with Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico that any wolf from Colorado could be recaptured and returned to the state.
“This was developed to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf, a separately listed entity under the Federal Endangered Species Act,” said Rachael Gonzales, the Northwest Region Public Information Officer for CPW.
However, no agreement is in place between Colorado and Wyoming. Under Wyoming law, wolves can be killed year-round without a license in the area bordering Colorado.
The reveal of the wolf’s movements near Utah comes as another lone female wolf has been exploring the southwest area of Colorado through Teller, Park, Fremont, and Chaffee Counties.
WATCH: Lone gray wolf enters Teller County according to local guide and CPW
Local ranchers and guides were alerted by CPW in early February that a single gray wolf had entered Teller County and was in the Florissant Fossil Beds area, as News5 was the first to report.
WATCH: Ranchers express concerns as lone gray wolf enters Teller County
In another incident of crossing state lines on February 5, it’s believed that a wolf crossed over from Wyoming into Jackson County and killed a cow, according to CPW.
Covering Colorado
Uncollared gray wolf in north Jackson County kills cow
The agency said none of the collared wolves had GPS tracking data for that area of the state where the depredation occurred. It was the first depredation incident since September last year.
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Latest Colorado wolf activity map shows movements closer to Front Range
In the latest Colorado collared wolf activity map released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the state’s gray wolves have greatly expanded their footprint compared to a month ago.
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