A collared wolf traveled over 1,230 miles in four months, crossing into Utah before returning to Colorado.

Communication issues arose between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regarding the wolf's movement.

Three of the 15 wolves reintroduced from British Columbia have died, two in Wyoming and one in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A British Columbia wolf captured and released in Colorado in January covered a distance equivalent to the miles from Denver to San Francisco in four months, circling and wandering throughout the Western Slope.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on April 24 the wolf traveled more than 1,230 miles when it released its monthly wolf activity map covering movement among watersheds March 25 through April 22.

"An extraordinary display of the species' natural exploratory behavior," the agency wrote in the news release.

Among its many miles of wandering was along U.S. Highway 50 in southern Colorado from Salida west past Gunnison, Montrose and into Utah.

Colorado wolf wanders more than 1,200 miles in four months, wowing wildlife experts

Portrait of Miles BlumhardtMiles Blumhardt

Fort Collins Coloradoan

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A collared wolf traveled over 1,230 miles in four months, crossing into Utah before returning to Colorado.

Communication issues arose between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regarding the wolf's movement.

Three of the 15 wolves reintroduced from British Columbia have died, two in Wyoming and one in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A British Columbia wolf captured and released in Colorado in January covered a distance equivalent to the miles from Denver to San Francisco in four months, circling and wandering throughout the Western Slope.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on April 24 the wolf traveled more than 1,230 miles when it released its monthly wolf activity map covering movement among watersheds March 25 through April 22.

"An extraordinary display of the species' natural exploratory behavior," the agency wrote in the news release.

Among its many miles of wandering was along U.S. Highway 50 in southern Colorado from Salida west past Gunnison, Montrose and into Utah.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources confirmed to the Coloradoan a wolf, presumed to be the same wolf, was reported in Utah on April 19 in the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area. That area is approximately 30 miles from the Colorado border and 8 miles north of Interstate 70.

The wolf apparently returned to Colorado the same day, according to Faith Heaton Jolley, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Heaton Jolley said Utah works closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife when a GPS-collared Colorado wolf is near the Utah border. Heaton Jolley said it appears Utah was not notified through the usual process during the latest wolf movement into the state and that it is working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to identify the apparent communication breakdown.

"Typically, their (CPW) wildlife chief notifies our wildlife chief about wolf movements in Utah," Heaton Jolly said.

The Coloradoan reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife on April 23 regarding the incident but it refused to provide further details.

"CPW does not comment on individual wolf locations or movements, operations or regulations in other states," CPW spokesperson Travis Duncan wrote in an April 24 email response.

The wide-ranging wolf is believed to be a female with collar number 2516, according to reports from ranchers and residents of the West Slope after seeing the wolf up close, including near municipalities.

Duncan wrote that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an agreement with Utah, New Mexico and Utah to ensure wolves that cross into those states can be safely recaptured and returned to Colorado to protect the genetic integrity of the federally listed Mexican gray wolf, a separate subspecies.

Colorado does not have such an agreement with Wyoming, where two wolves captured in British Columbia were found dead.

Three wolves translocated from British Columbia to Colorado are now dead

Three of the 15 wolves captured in British Columbia and released in Eagle and Pitkin counties in January as part of the state's recovery plan have died.

The deaths include:

Male wolf 2513 was discovered dead April 9. Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not identify a cause of death or area of Wyoming where the death occurred.

Male wolf 2505 was shot and killed March 16 in north-central Wyoming by federal officials after it depredated on sheep, according to previous Coloradoan reporting.

Female wolf 2514 was discovered dead in Rocky Mountain National Park on April 20. Officials confirmed the death took place in the park but the cause of death and location within the park where the wolf was found has not been disclosed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting an investigation, including a necropsy.

Three of the 10 wolves captured in Oregon and released into Grand and Summit counties in December of 2023 died in Colorado, one near the Wyoming border in Larimer County.

Are Colorado's wide-ranging wolf movements typical?

Retired wolf experts Diane Boyd and Ed Bangs, who have spent decades working with wolves, including the reintroduction of the apex predator in the mid-1990s in Yellowstone National Park and Idaho, said the wide-ranging movements of Colorado wolves is typical.

A wolf reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s that traveled around 500 miles, eventually reaching the Grand Canyon, is considered a remarkable feat by wildlife biologists.

Both said it's also typical for wolves' homing instincts to lead them in the direction from where they were translocated.

"Because their (British Columbia wolves) homing instinct is to head north, unfortunately, there will probably be more shot in Wyoming," Boyd told the Coloradoan.

Boyd said Colorado might consider a soft release of wolves for its next release, expected late this year or early in 2026. Studies have shown wolves released in this manner don't wander quite as far as from hard releases.

Colorado wolf wanders more than 1,200 miles in four months, wowing wildlife experts

Portrait of Miles BlumhardtMiles Blumhardt

Fort Collins Coloradoan

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A collared wolf traveled over 1,230 miles in four months, crossing into Utah before returning to Colorado.

Communication issues arose between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regarding the wolf's movement.

Three of the 15 wolves reintroduced from British Columbia have died, two in Wyoming and one in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A British Columbia wolf captured and released in Colorado in January covered a distance equivalent to the miles from Denver to San Francisco in four months, circling and wandering throughout the Western Slope.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on April 24 the wolf traveled more than 1,230 miles when it released its monthly wolf activity map covering movement among watersheds March 25 through April 22.

"An extraordinary display of the species' natural exploratory behavior," the agency wrote in the news release.

Among its many miles of wandering was along U.S. Highway 50 in southern Colorado from Salida west past Gunnison, Montrose and into Utah.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources confirmed to the Coloradoan a wolf, presumed to be the same wolf, was reported in Utah on April 19 in the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area. That area is approximately 30 miles from the Colorado border and 8 miles north of Interstate 70.

The wolf apparently returned to Colorado the same day, according to Faith Heaton Jolley, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

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Heaton Jolley said Utah works closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife when a GPS-collared Colorado wolf is near the Utah border. Heaton Jolley said it appears Utah was not notified through the usual process during the latest wolf movement into the state and that it is working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to identify the apparent communication breakdown.

"Typically, their (CPW) wildlife chief notifies our wildlife chief about wolf movements in Utah," Heaton Jolly said.

The Coloradoan reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife on April 23 regarding the incident but it refused to provide further details.

"CPW does not comment on individual wolf locations or movements, operations or regulations in other states," CPW spokesperson Travis Duncan wrote in an April 24 email response.

The wide-ranging wolf is believed to be a female with collar number 2516, according to reports from ranchers and residents of the West Slope after seeing the wolf up close, including near municipalities.

Duncan wrote that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an agreement with Utah, New Mexico and Utah to ensure wolves that cross into those states can be safely recaptured and returned to Colorado to protect the genetic integrity of the federally listed Mexican gray wolf, a separate subspecies.

Colorado does not have such an agreement with Wyoming, where two wolves captured in British Columbia were found dead.

This initiative would end Colorado's wolf releases. Many rancher groups don't support it.

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Three wolves translocated from British Columbia to Colorado are now dead

Three of the 15 wolves captured in British Columbia and released in Eagle and Pitkin counties in January as part of the state's recovery plan have died.

The deaths include:

Male wolf 2513 was discovered dead April 9. Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not identify a cause of death or area of Wyoming where the death occurred.

Male wolf 2505 was shot and killed March 16 in north-central Wyoming by federal officials after it depredated on sheep, according to previous Coloradoan reporting.

Female wolf 2514 was discovered dead in Rocky Mountain National Park on April 20. Officials confirmed the death took place in the park but the cause of death and location within the park where the wolf was found has not been disclosed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting an investigation, including a necropsy.

Three of the 10 wolves captured in Oregon and released into Grand and Summit counties in December of 2023 died in Colorado, one near the Wyoming border in Larimer County.

Are Colorado's wide-ranging wolf movements typical?

Retired wolf experts Diane Boyd and Ed Bangs, who have spent decades working with wolves, including the reintroduction of the apex predator in the mid-1990s in Yellowstone National Park and Idaho, said the wide-ranging movements of Colorado wolves is typical.

A wolf reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s that traveled around 500 miles, eventually reaching the Grand Canyon, is considered a remarkable feat by wildlife biologists.

Both said it's also typical for wolves' homing instincts to lead them in the direction from where they were translocated.

"Because their (British Columbia wolves) homing instinct is to head north, unfortunately, there will probably be more shot in Wyoming," Boyd told the Coloradoan.

Boyd said Colorado might consider a soft release of wolves for its next release, expected late this year or early in 2026. Studies have shown wolves released in this manner don't wander quite as far as from hard releases.

"Colorado has nothing to lose by trying a soft release," Boyd said. "Try a different method and assess it and the wolves might home north more or less into Wyoming, but by trying it you might lessen criticism."

Both of Colorado's wolf releases have been hard releases, which was encouraged by the state's wolf Technical Working Group and incorporated into the state recovery plan.

Colorado wolf wanders more than 1,200 miles in four months, wowing wildlife experts

Portrait of Miles BlumhardtMiles Blumhardt

Fort Collins Coloradoan

Unmute

0:02

/

0:50

Full screen

A collared wolf traveled over 1,230 miles in four months, crossing into Utah before returning to Colorado.

Communication issues arose between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regarding the wolf's movement.

Three of the 15 wolves reintroduced from British Columbia have died, two in Wyoming and one in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A British Columbia wolf captured and released in Colorado in January covered a distance equivalent to the miles from Denver to San Francisco in four months, circling and wandering throughout the Western Slope.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on April 24 the wolf traveled more than 1,230 miles when it released its monthly wolf activity map covering movement among watersheds March 25 through April 22.

"An extraordinary display of the species' natural exploratory behavior," the agency wrote in the news release.

Among its many miles of wandering was along U.S. Highway 50 in southern Colorado from Salida west past Gunnison, Montrose and into Utah.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources confirmed to the Coloradoan a wolf, presumed to be the same wolf, was reported in Utah on April 19 in the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area. That area is approximately 30 miles from the Colorado border and 8 miles north of Interstate 70.

The wolf apparently returned to Colorado the same day, according to Faith Heaton Jolley, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Get the Daily Briefing newsletter in your inbox.

Start your day with the morning's top news.

Delivery: Daily

Your Email

Heaton Jolley said Utah works closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife when a GPS-collared Colorado wolf is near the Utah border. Heaton Jolley said it appears Utah was not notified through the usual process during the latest wolf movement into the state and that it is working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to identify the apparent communication breakdown.

"Typically, their (CPW) wildlife chief notifies our wildlife chief about wolf movements in Utah," Heaton Jolly said.

The Coloradoan reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife on April 23 regarding the incident but it refused to provide further details.

"CPW does not comment on individual wolf locations or movements, operations or regulations in other states," CPW spokesperson Travis Duncan wrote in an April 24 email response.

The wide-ranging wolf is believed to be a female with collar number 2516, according to reports from ranchers and residents of the West Slope after seeing the wolf up close, including near municipalities.

Duncan wrote that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an agreement with Utah, New Mexico and Utah to ensure wolves that cross into those states can be safely recaptured and returned to Colorado to protect the genetic integrity of the federally listed Mexican gray wolf, a separate subspecies.

Colorado does not have such an agreement with Wyoming, where two wolves captured in British Columbia were found dead.

This initiative would end Colorado's wolf releases. Many rancher groups don't support it.

Colorado agrees to 2 wolf compensation claims that will nearly bust its budget

Colorado senator says divide between wolf advocates and ranchers has 'never been greater'

Mystery surrounds gunshot death of Colorado wolf; agencies refusing to answer questions

Rocky reintroduction: First 11 months of Colorado wolf recovery plagued with problems

Three wolves translocated from British Columbia to Colorado are now dead

Three of the 15 wolves captured in British Columbia and released in Eagle and Pitkin counties in January as part of the state's recovery plan have died.

The deaths include:

Male wolf 2513 was discovered dead April 9. Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not identify a cause of death or area of Wyoming where the death occurred.

Male wolf 2505 was shot and killed March 16 in north-central Wyoming by federal officials after it depredated on sheep, according to previous Coloradoan reporting.

Female wolf 2514 was discovered dead in Rocky Mountain National Park on April 20. Officials confirmed the death took place in the park but the cause of death and location within the park where the wolf was found has not been disclosed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting an investigation, including a necropsy.

Three of the 10 wolves captured in Oregon and released into Grand and Summit counties in December of 2023 died in Colorado, one near the Wyoming border in Larimer County.

Are Colorado's wide-ranging wolf movements typical?

Retired wolf experts Diane Boyd and Ed Bangs, who have spent decades working with wolves, including the reintroduction of the apex predator in the mid-1990s in Yellowstone National Park and Idaho, said the wide-ranging movements of Colorado wolves is typical.

A wolf reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s that traveled around 500 miles, eventually reaching the Grand Canyon, is considered a remarkable feat by wildlife biologists.

Both said it's also typical for wolves' homing instincts to lead them in the direction from where they were translocated.

"Because their (British Columbia wolves) homing instinct is to head north, unfortunately, there will probably be more shot in Wyoming," Boyd told the Coloradoan.

Boyd said Colorado might consider a soft release of wolves for its next release, expected late this year or early in 2026. Studies have shown wolves released in this manner don't wander quite as far as from hard releases.

"Colorado has nothing to lose by trying a soft release," Boyd said. "Try a different method and assess it and the wolves might home north more or less into Wyoming, but by trying it you might lessen criticism."

Both of Colorado's wolf releases have been hard releases, which was encouraged by the state's wolf Technical Working Group and incorporated into the state recovery plan.

A soft release includes placing the captured animals in holding pens for a period of time, usually several weeks, and feeding them while they acclimate. This was the method used in the Yellowstone reintroduction. This is much more costly than a hard release.

A hard release is opening the transportation crates immediately at the release site and letting the wolves disperse on their own. This was the method used in the Idaho reintroduction.

Bangs said a hard release is how the vast majority of wildlife releases are done and it more closely mimics how wolves naturally start new populations.

Wolves released by either method appear to pair up and breed at about the same rate, Eric Odell, Colorado Parks and Wildlife wolf conservation program manager, said previously.

Bangs believes Colorado is reintroducing wolves the right way, adding wolves will continue to move around the state but are good at eventually finding each other. He expects when enough wolves are established that they won't travel so far.

"It will work if people let it work," Bangs said. "The tricky part when you start dumping wolves on the ground is each individual wolf is really valuable and worth putting time and energy into them. It's supply and demand."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5718178&forum_id=2:#48891030)