Biologists Confirm Wolf In Colorado

July 11, 2019

The wolf spotted in Jackson County, Colorado traveled from the Yellowstone area in Wyoming.

Originally published on July 12, 2019 4:32 pm

A gray wolf was spotted in Northern Colorado this week and Wyoming Game and Fish just confirmed it's a member of a Wyoming pack.

The collared wolf is from the Snake River Pack near Yellowstone, which means the animal traveled hundreds of miles to get to Colorado.

“This particular wolf is obviously of great interest to Coloradans and Wyoming because it’s traveled a pretty significant distance,” says Lauren Dobson with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “It’s a young male wolf — we do want to know where he’s headed, what he’s doing.”

Dobson says there have been four or five other reported sightings in that same area, but so far those have not been confirmed as wolves.

The sighting is significant because Colorado doesn’t have wolves — yet. The state has a policy that if the canines find their way in, Colorado will manage them, but so far there’s no established pack.

Some Coloradans are trying to get an initiative on the ballot next year to purposefully reintroduce the species. That would mean transporting wolves from other places, like Wyoming. Wolves have already been reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park, and throughout Montana and Idaho.

Find reporter Amanda Peacher on Twitter @amandapeacher.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada, and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.