DENVER (KDVR) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed Thursday that a gray wolf found dead in Grand County in September may have died from wounds suffered in a fight with another wolf.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported in September that the agency received a mortality signal from the wolf’s GPS collar on Sept. 9 and confirmed the wolf’s death on Sept. 10. The wolf was identified as 2307-OR, a male that was reintroduced to the state in December 2023 in Grand County.
A USFWS official told FOX31 that necropsy results “indicate that the wolf died from injuries consistent with a fight, likely involving another wolf.” The full necropsy report is not yet available.
“The examination revealed trauma typical of wounds caused by wolves and other canids and preliminary analysis of hair samples collected from the scene further supports the involvement of another wolf,” USFWS told FOX31. “Although the wolf had an old, healed gunshot wound to its rear leg, it was in good nutritional condition at the time of death.”
Gray wolves are federally protected as they are listed species under the Endangered Species Act, causing the USFWS to become involved in the event of a gray wolf’s death. It is illegal to kill a wolf without prior authorization, but there are exceptions to protect livestock from an active wolf attack.
CPW Director Jeff Davis said in September that Coloradans should expect wolves to suffer injuries or death.
“While this is sad news, these types of restoration efforts consider anticipated mortalities in our planning and a degree of wolf mortality, just like for any wildlife, is expected both during restoration efforts and on an ongoing basis,” Davis said in the agency’s announcement.
Three reintroduced wolves dead in 2024
This is not the first wolf to die in Colorado in 2024. In April, USFWS officials were called to investigate a wolf found dead in Larimer County. The agency told FOX31 that the initial investigation showed puncture wounds in the skull consistent with those typically inflicted by a mountain lion.
Additionally, the male adult wolf of the Copper Creek pack died shortly after it was captured for relocation in early September. CPW reported that this wolf had several injuries to his right hind leg, which had been inflicted before capture.
CPW said the wolf’s body weight was also almost 30% below what he weighed when released in December. The agency said staff members administered antibiotics to address the infections, but four days after he was transported, the wolf’s collar transmitted a mortality signal.
Biologists confirmed the wolf died on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and said they did not believe the wolf would have survived for long in the wild, either. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted and a third party will conduct a full necropsy, according to CPW.
More wolves to be released in Colorado this winter
Colorado’s wolf reintroduction plan calls for the transfer of 30 to 50 wolves over a 3-5 year time frame. CPW has released 10 so far through an agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In late July, CPW announced that an agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to source further wolves during the 2024-2025 winter season had been rescinded.
But in September, the agency announced it had secured an agreement with the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship. Under that agreement, CPW will work with Canadian crews to begin capture and transfer operations of up to 15 gray wolves.
The process is expected to begin in December, one year after the first group of gray wolves were released into the state.
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