DENVER, COLORADO – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has secured a new source population of gray wolves from British Columbia for the second year of its reintroduction efforts, which aims to establish a self-sustaining wolf population west of the Continental Divide. In an agreement announced today with the B.C. Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship, up to 15 wolves will be captured and translocated between December 2024 and March 2025.
The reintroduction is part of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, which outlines CPW’s goal to release 10-15 gray wolves per year for the next 3-5 years. This upcoming winter marks the second year of the project, following the initial reintroduction in 2023. According to CPW Director Jeff Davis, collaboration with the B.C. Ministry has been crucial in advancing Colorado’s efforts to restore gray wolves to the landscape.
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“We are grateful to the B.C. Ministry for working with our agency on this critical next step in reintroducing gray wolves in the state,” Davis said. “Their willingness and ability to support our conservation priorities demonstrates their long-shared commitment to seeing this species succeed.”
In addition to managing the capture and transport of the wolves, CPW will test each wolf for diseases to ensure they meet reintroduction requirements. Once tested, the wolves will be fitted with tracking collars to monitor their movement and survival. The animals will then be transported to Colorado in aluminum crates, either by air or truck, and released in select locations on the West Slope as soon as they arrive to minimize stress.
The Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan prioritizes healthy animals for reintroduction, avoiding wolves with severe injuries or those involved in repeated livestock depredations. CPW Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell noted that British Columbia’s wolves offer additional genetic diversity, further supporting the long-term success of the state’s growing population.
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“Gray wolves from the Canadian Rockies were used for reintroduction in Idaho and Yellowstone,” Odell said. “There are no biological differences between wolves in British Columbia and those released in Colorado last year.”
CPW will begin its second round of wolf capture operations this winter, with assistance from British Columbia’s biologists to ensure the program’s success. Last year’s efforts, which sourced wolves from Oregon, provided valuable insights that will guide this year’s translocation.
The Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, approved by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission in May 2023, outlines a long-term strategy for gray wolf recovery. Colorado voters approved the reintroduction in 2020, with a mandate to release wolves by December 31, 2023.
Learn more about Colorado Wolf Reintroduction by visiting the CPW website here.
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