Colorado releases additional 5 gray wolves as part of reintroduction effort

Colorado wildlife officials have released five more gray wolves into the state, bringing the total so far under a voter-approved reintroduction program to 10.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a statement Friday that the team has entered into an agreement to capture 10 gray wolves in Oregon and release them into Colorado as part of an effort to re-establish a permanent population there. No additional recordings or releases are planned for the rest of this year, KCNC TV reported.

The agency said it would “continue to work to obtain additional animals until up to 15 wolves are reintroduced to Colorado by mid-March 2024.”

Oregon's first five gray wolves were released in Colorado on December 18 at an event attended by Governor Jared Polis. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said details of “release events” for the next five wolves were not being shared widely to protect the wolves and their location and agency personnel. However, the agency said the releases occurred on state lands in Grand and Summit counties in Colorado.

Biologists chose wolves that were mature enough to hunt on their own, the agency said.

Officials in Colorado expect to release 30 to 50 wolves within the next five years, hoping the program will fill one of the last remaining major gaps in the western U.S. for the species. Gray wolves historically ranged from northern Canada to the desert southwest.

The release of Colorado wolves, which was voted on in 2020, has sharpened the divide between rural and urban residents. Urban and suburban residents largely voted in favor of reintroduction into rural areas where prey could include livestock and big game such as elk.