Colorado Confirms 14th Wolf Death in Reintroduction Program
The loss pushes overall mortality past 50%, a level that prompts formal review under the state’s management plan.
Overview
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported a mortality signal Wednesday from collar 2310 for the mother of the King Mountain pack, with a necropsy pending to determine cause of death.
- This marks the 14th death since reintroductions began in 2023 and the third so far in 2026, bringing losses to more than half of the 25 wolves translocated.
- CPW says the adult male of the King Mountain pack died in January during a collaring operation; both adult wolves in that pack were translocated from Oregon in December 2023.
- The agency has paused additional releases for 2026 following an October federal cease‑and‑desist that stopped Colorado from obtaining more wolves from British Columbia.
- Colorado’s plan sets a 70% six‑month survival benchmark that would initiate a protocol review if not met, placing current operations under heightened scrutiny.