A female gray wolf released in northwestern Colorado as part of the state’s gray wolf reintroduction program has been found dead. The species had been entirely eradicated from this region approximately 250 years ago. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the exact cause of death will be determined after a necropsy is conducted, reports the Baltimore Chronicle, citing IFLScience.
The deceased wolf was among fifteen individuals relocated from British Columbia to Colorado in January 2025. Reports confirm that four of the wolves introduced this year have already died. Since the beginning of the reintroduction effort in 2023, there have been seven total deaths, some linked to poaching.
The program was launched after Proposition 114 was approved by 50.9% of Colorado voters in 2020, allowing for the restoration of a native predator to the ecosystem. Conservationists believe that wolves play a critical role in balancing wildlife populations, particularly by controlling deer numbers and promoting forest regeneration. However, many local farmers have expressed concern, citing threats to livestock, despite the availability of state compensation of up to $15,000 per lost animal.
Officials from the parks service emphasize that wolf mortality is common in the wild. In the Rocky Mountains, gray wolves rarely live longer than four years. Nonetheless, each reported death continues to stir public debate. In 2023, two wolves were illegally shot, while another was killed by a mountain lion.
According to studies conducted by the University of Colorado, the ecological impact of wolves typically becomes apparent only over a longer timeframe—sometimes decades after reintroduction begins.
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