Colorado secures source population for gray wolf reintroduction
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced Friday that they have secured a source population for the voter-approved wolf reintroduction.
RELATED: Colorado’s gray wolf restoration, management plan receives final approval Wednesday
CPW says the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will be a source for up to 10 wolves to be relocated to Colorado between Dec. 2023 and March 2024.
The CPW Commission approved the final Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan earlier this year. The voter-approved deadline for reintroduction is Dec. 31, 2023, and the wolves will be released on the Western Slope, according to CPW.
“We are grateful to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for working with our agency on this critical next step in reintroducing gray wolves in the state,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “This agreement will help ensure Colorado Parks and Wildlife can meet its statutory mandate to begin releasing wolves in Colorado by December 31, 2023.”
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) says the wolves will be captured in northeast Oregon, where they are most abundant. CPW will begin capture operations in December with assistance from the ODFW.
"The wolves will be released at select sites in Colorado as soon as possible once they arrive in the state to minimize stress on the animals,” said CPW Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell. "CPW will aim to capture and reintroduce an equal number of males and females. We anticipate that the majority of animals will be in the 1-to 5-year-old range, which is the age that animals would typically disperse from the pack they were born in.”
For more information, visit CPW's wolf page.
