15 wolves from Canada released into Colorado under voter-approved initiative

DENVER — A second group of wolves has been released in Colorado as part of a… controversial, voter-driven initiative to reintroduce the predators to the state.

Fifteen gray wolves from Canada were released into the central mountains over three days last week, but state wildlife officials only announced the operation on Sunday, a day after it was completed. Colorado Parks and Wildlife noted in its announcement that its offices had been surveilled and that staff safety was at risk, noting threatening phone calls and social media posts.

In addition, a female and four pups previously released elsewhere in Colorado were also moved to the same region as the Canadian wolves: Eagle and Pitkin counties, the agency said. The region is home to ski resorts and vast amounts of public land used for recreation. The five displaced wolves were part of a pack captured in August after a male who was part of the group repeatedly killed local livestock in Grand County, northwest of Denver, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Canadian wolves — seven males and eight females — were captured in British Columbia’s central interior in collaboration with local authorities in an area where wolves are sometimes culled to help revive the caribou population, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.

“It was an honor to work with Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff to support their conservation priority. It is a great example of collaboration and the connections we have across the vast landscapes of North America,” said Hillary Ward of the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship in a statement accompanying the announcement in Colorado.

Colorado residents, largely in cities, voted to reintroduce wolves in 2020, clashing with those in rural areas who feared attacks on their livestock. The first ten wolves were released just over a year ago, and since then there have been more than twenty claims of depredations – with wolves killing livestock or working dogs.

According to Parks and Wildlife, two of the 10 wolves introduced in December 2023 were shot illegally.

Colorado officials have said they expect to release 30 to 50 wolves within the next five years with the goal of one of the last big holes in the western US for the species, which in recent years has ranged from northern Canada to the desert southwest.