Explore the fascinating journey of Colorado’s free-roaming wolves as they navigate the state’s diverse landscape, with insights into their recent movements, population dynamics, and the state’s efforts to manage and reintroduce these captivating creatures.
Wolves’ September Wanderings
The eight known free-roaming wolves in Colorado spent most of September north of U.S. 40 well away from the state’s northwest corner around Walden and the areas adjacent to Steamboat Springs, where they roamed last spring before news cameras showed up.
The wolves navigated around the two towns that had been part of their most recent movements and incorporated watersheds in Jackson, Routt, Grand, Summit, and Eagle counties onto Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) tracking map. The change in their travel routes could mean the wolves are behaving differently or scouting out new territories throughout the state.
The map, however, also appears to show that a wolf that entered Rocky Mountain National Park in July and marked the first confirmed presence of a wolf in park history was gone by September. The brief stop at the famous national park underscores the wolves’ flexibility in moving into new places and could indicate the movement is made as they search for food or space.
Colorado Wolf Management: Numbers and Obstacles
As of late January, Colorado’s confirmed wolves include three recent additions.
Seven of the original 10 adult wolves reintroduced by the state in December are still alive, and another six pups — four from the Copper Creek pack and a pair of adults from an established Oregon group — have been added to the mix.
But the state’s gray wolves have also had their share of troubles. Those depredations prompted wildlife officers in late August and early September to remove one of the re-introduced adults and four pups from the wild in Grand County. They will be held in captivity until a decision is made about their future.
In addition, three of the 10 wolves that were reintroduced have been killed. Another was likely killed by a mountain lion in the spring and the third died on September 3, with CPW officials saying they believe that the death came from natural causes. The police said they are still investigating the September 9 death and were unable to immediately provide more details beyond that it was a wildlife incident.
These releases have now been suspended, though CPW leaders said the next group of wolves to be reintroduced in the state will also come from British Columbia, Canada. Biologists will start capturing and moving wolves in December through the winter, marking Colorado’s first key wolf reintroduction program.
Conclusion
The seemingly never-ending saga of Colorado’s free-roaming wolf pack story continues to intrigue and challenge both wildlife biologists and the general public. The movements and population dynamics of these iconic predators across the state’s varied terrains serve as harbingers of larger truths about the tricky conservation dance between wildlife and human land use. These reintroduction and management efforts, though not perfect in Montana, demonstrate the challenges—and necessity—of preservation and cohabitation with an animal like the wolf.
