Colorado Parks and Wildlife has decided not to reintroduce any new wolves this year.
The decision comes after the latest wolf death in northwestern Colorado and the October letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service alerting Colorado that its transport of wolves from Canada is in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
“During this intermediate time, CPW will continue to meet with producers and other stakeholders, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to explore how to maximize the restoration effort and achieve our plan of establishing a self-sustaining gray wolf population in Colorado,” said CPW Acting Director Laura Clellan. “Our team has invested in a significant conflict minimization program, and we look forward to exploring how we continue to improve this program with producers to protect both livestock and wolves.”
CPW Statewide Public Information Officer Luke Perkins told The Colorado Sun that while the mortality of wolves seems high, it has not been unexpectedly high. Adult survival rate for most wolves is about 75 percent with a 2.5-year life span. Wolves that are not part of packs have a lower survival rate, about 67 percent.
“When populations are small, the contributions of each individual is especially significant. It is not possible to predict the impact of foregoing a third year of translocations without knowing what may occur in the coming year. If mortality remains high, as observed in 2025, the risk of failing to achieve a self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado increases, potentially requiring additional resources to address,” said CPW Wolf Program Manager Eric Odell.
In a Jan. 21 news release, CPW said the impact of no additional releases is dependent on several factors, including wolf survival and reproduction.
Officials have confirmed successful reproduction in four packs and CPW staff are working to determine how many pups made it through the summer and will be successfully recruited into the population. Female gray wolves give birth to an average litter of four to six pups.
CPW said it will continue to make all management decisions on a case-by-case basis after evaluating the circumstances, the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, and relevant law.
Until next year, CPW said it will continue working with livestock producers and stakeholders in the state addressing conflict as they come up and responding to any events of wolf conflict that happen. The agency said it is continuing to explore options for where wolves will come from in the 2026-2027 window.
“This is a complicated effort and I want to encourage all stakeholders to continue to work together as we move toward the goal of creating a self-sustaining population of wolves in the state, while at the same time minimizing conflict with livestock,” said Clellan.
