CPW tracks gray wolves

A female gray wolf, released in Colorado in January after being translocated from British Columbia, has made significant movements across the state. She has covered more than 1,230 miles since translocation — an extraordinary display of the species' natural roaming behavior.

“This single wolf’s movement traveled nearly the entire southern line of watersheds on our map,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Wolf Monitoring and Data Coordinator Brenna Cassidy. 

In addition to this one female’s movement, CPW’s latest monthly collared gray wolf activity map shows recent activity in watersheds west of major population centers like Denver, Boulder and Estes Park. While these areas saw brief movement, it does not mean that wolves were or are currently in those cities or neighborhoods.

As wolves continue to explore Colorado, CPW reminds the public that these movements were expected and are a natural part of the reintroduction process. Wolves are habitat generalists, meaning they can thrive in many environments as long as prey is present. Over time, wolves will continue to disperse across the state to establish territories.

CPW has an agreement in place with Utah, New Mexico and Arizona to ensure wolves that cross into those states can be safely recaptured and returned to Colorado. These protocols are designed to protect the genetic integrity of the federally listed Mexican gray wolf, a separate subspecies.

“[This] helps protect both Colorado’s reintroduction effort and ongoing recovery efforts for Mexican wolves in the Southwest,” Cassidy said. 

The wildlife agency publishes an updated gray wolf activity map once a month, offering a broad view of where wolves are moving. This month’s map —  covering late March through late April — was slightly delayed. CPW reserves the right to buffer maps that will be shared with the public if doing so protects wolf welfare during sensitive times of the year (e.g., mating season). Field staff notify local producers when wolves are known to be in the area and deploy conflict mitigation tools when needed.

“We want to remind everyone that you may not have wolves on your property, but you likely already live among mountain lions and black bears,” said Cassidy. “The same precautions that help prevent conflicts with those animals — like securing attractants and watching pets — are just as effective with wolves.” 

Think you’ve seen a wolf? CPW encourages the public to use the wolf sighting report form on the agency’s website if they believe they have observed a wolf. 

(Source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife.)