CPW: Wolf dies in Rocky Mountain National Park

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK (KRDO) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced Thursday that one of the wolves brought to Colorado from British Columbia has died in Rocky Mountain National Park.

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According to CPW, biologists received a mortality alert for female gray wolf 2514-BC on April 20. The agency, in cooperation with the National Park Service, confirmed that the mortality took place in Rocky Mountain National Park.

CPW said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the death, and a final determination of the cause of death will not be made until the investigation is completed, including the necropsy.

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The wolf identified as 2514-BC was part of the group of wolves translocated to Colorado from British Columbia.

According to CPW, wolf survival in Colorado is within normal margins for a wolf population in the Rocky Mountains. Any reintroduction effort includes eventual mortality levels, and these were incorporated into the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. The average lifespan of a gray wolf in the Rocky Mountains is generally 3-4 years, the agency said.