CPW says another gray wolf is dead, federal officials now investigating cause

COLORADO (KRDO) – Another gray wolf brought to Colorado as part of a reintroduction effort has died, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced Monday. It marks the sixth wolf death in the state this year.

According to CPW, the agency received a mortality alert for male gray wolf 2507 on May 31. The death was tracked to northwest Colorado.

Because the gray wolf is listed under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now investigating the death, CPW said. The cause of death won't be officially determined until the investigation, including the necropsy, is complete.

The wolf was one of 15 relocated from British Columbia to Colorado’s Eagle and Pitkin counties in January under the state’s Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. It’s now the fifth to die from the group, leaving just 10 remaining.

The wolf death comes only days after state wildlife officials announced they'd euthanized a wolf from the Copper Creek pack – the first pack introduced to the state in December 2023 – after multiple attacks on livestock.

READ MORE: CPW ‘lethally removes’ gray wolf from Copper Creek pack after repeated attacks on livestock

Despite the recent deaths, CPW says it is continuing to monitor four potential dens, and that there's likely an unknown amount of new pups that were born this year.

"CPW is developing plans for the coming year’s translocation efforts, so Colorado’s wolf population will continue to grow, leading toward a self-sustaining population," the agency said.

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