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DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado has released 10 gray wolves so far in its ongoing effort to reintroduce the animals into the state.
State wildlife officials have been capturing the wolves in Oregon to release in Colorado as part of the mandate voters approved in 2020. The capture work finished on Friday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Now, four male and six female gray wolves have been released onto state-owned public land in Summit and Grand counties. That includes two adult males, while the rest are yearlings.
“Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists were careful to select yearling and adult wolves that are mature enough to hunt prey on their own,” the agency in a release.
Wolf reintroduction officially began on Monday, three days after a judge denied a last-minute request for a restraining order to block the process. While the judge rejected the restraining order, the lawsuit — filed by Colorado ranching groups — is still making its way through the courts.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife releases a gray wolf on Dec. 18, 2023, as part of the voter mandate to reintroduce the animals to the state (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) -
Colorado Parks and Wildlife veterinarian Pauline Nol and biologist Ellen Brandell examine gray wolf 2307-OR on Dec. 17, 2023. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) -
Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff weighs wolf 2304-OR on Dec. 17, 2023. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
15 wolves expected in Colorado by mid-March
CPW said it’s working to reintroduce 15 wolves by the middle of March.
“Ultimately, CPW plans to recover and maintain a viable, self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado while balancing the need to manage interactions between wolves, people and livestock,” the agency said in a release.
Gray wolves in Colorado are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. That means that any wolf take requires a permit from CPW or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or it must be done in active self-defense, according to the state.
Any violation is punishable by jail time, loss of hunting privileges and fines up to $100,000.
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