It’s official: Last Friday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife began an operation to capture up to 15 wolves in British Columbia and release the predators in Eagle, Garfield or Pitkin counties.
The plan marks the second time Colorado will reintroduce wolves through its voter-mandated program to restore the endangered canines. A spokesperson declined to say exactly when or where officials plan to release the wolves, saying the lack of detail is necessary to “ensure the safety of our staff and the animals.”
The wildlife agency plans to share a press release with further information once the operation ends.
Political tensions have started to boil over amid the lack of official details. The state wildlife commission denied a petition from agriculture organizations last week seeking to pause the reintroduction program. Meanwhile, another livestock group submitted a draft ballot measure to repeal the program, and state and federal elected officials have flexed their political muscles and threatened to take action to protect rural communities.
Amid the flood of lupine news, here’s questions and answers about Colorado’s second wolf release, and how it might shift the debate around the historic and embattled restoration program.
How many wolves reside in Colorado?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is currently monitoring nine wild wolves. The wildlife agency captured six of those animals in Oregon in December 2023, then released the predators in Grand and Summit counties to kick off the official reintroduction program. Voters approved the program through a ballot initiative in 2020.
Another two wolves are the surviving members of a pack that migrated into Jackson County from Wyoming. The final wolf was a pup born to the Copper Creek Pack, a family group established in Grand County by a pair of wolves from the original batch of wolves released through the reintroduction program.
In August and September, state wildlife officials captured every other member of the Copper Creek Pack following a string of livestock deaths near Kremmling. Since then, the state has held the breeding female and four pups in captivity at an undisclosed location, but one of the pups evaded the capture operation and continues to persist in the wild.
How many wolves have died in Colorado since the state launched its reintroduction program?
At least three wolves have died since the state kicked off its reintroduction program at the end of 2023. One wolf died after a fight with another wolf, but an investigation later revealed a healed gunshot wound on its hindleg. Another perished after an apparent battle with a mountain lion.
The patriarch of the Copper Creek Pack also died a few days after wildlife officials brought it back into captivity. A necropsy later revealed the animal a bullet wound on a hind leg led to the animal’s death. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has launched a poaching investigation to find who shot the predator.
What’s the status of the second round of wolf releases?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the capture and release operation began last weekend, but the agency has declined to offer complete details until after it comes to a close.
The wildlife agency has an agreement with British Columbia to obtain up to 15 wolves. The state has committed not to capture any animals with major injuries or a history of repeatedly preying on livestock. In a press release, the agency said the wolves were selected from an area without domestic animals, which could help reduce the likelihood of further conflicts between wolves and livestock producers.
Without more information from the state, contributors to a wolf-tracking Facebook group have rushed to fill in the gaps. Many posts focused on flight tracking data for a plane supposedly operated by FlightHawk Conservation, a nonprofit that flew the first batch of wolves into Colorado in 2023.
The aircraft flew from Prince George, British Columbia, to Eagle County Regional Airport on Sunday afternoon. Steamboat Radio later reported witnesses saw three CPW trucks leave the airport shortly afterward. Flight monitoring websites show the plane returned to British Columbia on Monday.
Were local officials and livestock producers given specifics about the wolf release operations?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife faced complaints for failing to tell nearby livestock producers about its first round of wolf releases in December 2023.
It’s unclear if the state gave ranchers details about the second release operation, but some local officials were informed. State Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat representing western Colorado, said CPW Director Jeff Davis called him Saturday to tell him the capture operation was underway and the wolves would be released at multiple locations in Pitkin, Garfield or Eagle counties.
Some local officials have been contacted as well. In a public meeting on Monday, Garfield County Manager Fred Jarman told county commissioners CPW had said it was not planning to release wolves in Garfield County after all.
Roberts hopes the state has also warned ranchers living and working near the next round of release sites. “My constituents are rightly concerned about what’s happening next to their homes or next to the businesses,” Roberts said. “We’ll have to do a post-mortem on that one.”
What are state lawmakers saying about the next round of wolf releases?
A bipartisan group including Roberts and other state lawmakers released a statement about the wolf releases on Saturday. It called on the state to listen to ranching communities and follow through on several programs designed to protect livestock.
If the current round of reintroduction doesn’t go any better than the first, the lawmakers said they’re prepared to “exercise our power as a co-equal branch of government to do everything we can to protect our constituents.”
Colorado lawmakers hold the power to repeal the ballot initiative mandating the state’s wolf reintroduction program. Roberts thinks the idea would pass the legislature, but he expects Gov. Jared Polis would veto any attempt to scuttle the wolf restoration project.
Roberts said a more effective approach would involve lawmakers scrutinizing the current management of the wolf restoration program. A future bill could also set standards to ensure ranchers are fairly compensated for any lost livestock.
What are federal elected officials saying about Colorado’s wolf reintroduction effort?
A joint statement released by Colorado’s Republican U.S. representatives calls on the incoming Trump Administration to stop Colorado or other states from importing “foreign predators” into the country.
It also reiterates demands in a recent letter U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert sent to the U.S. Department of Interior, calling on the federal government to update land management plans to account for the impacts of wolf reintroduction. Wolf opponents have unsuccessfully attempted to use similar objections to scuttle the reintroduction plan in federal court.
The lawmakers also highlighted support for legislation to delist wolves as an endangered species across the U.S., which would clear the way for livestock producers to harass or kill the animals.
How is Colorado currently working to protect livestock from wolves?
Days before the reintroduction effort began, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission denied a petition from ranching groups calling on the state to pause the planned releases.
The petition outlined seven ways the state could minimize conflict between livestock and wolves before proceeding with further wolf reintroductions. Those include a range riding program, teams to respond to any potential wolf killing, funding for effective non-lethal tools, site assessment to deploy those tools, a carcass removal program and a clear wolf communication plan.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has attempted to comply with each of those demands, which is why it recommended against delaying the next round of wolf reintroductions. Its range riding program, for example, is currently seeking contractors to monitor sheep and cattle living near wolves. It also offers free site assessment to recommend potential non-lethal tools to repel wolves. The state has also adopted a new definition of “chronic depredation” to determine if the state should kill a wolf for habitually feeding on livestock.
Ranchers claim those programs have arrived too slowly and remain too small to effectively protect livestock.
Do wildlife advocates continue to support the reintroduction effort?
Wildlife advocates see wolf reintroduction as a critical tool to restore the species to its historic range, which once stretched from Alaska into Mexico.
Organizations like WildEarth Guardians and the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project have also noted Colorado has invested in programs to minimize livestock conflicts. If those efforts work, they say it could help ensure the state becomes a solid foothold for the species in a moment of rapidly declining biodiversity.
