A wolf that died after it was captured by wildlife officials as part of a pack had been shot, and now federal authorities are looking for the culprit.
The wolf was one of the original 10 wolves reintroduced to Colorado and the adult male of the Copper Creek pack, which was captured Aug. 30 after repeatedly feeding on livestock in Grand County.
At the time, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the wolf died four days after its capture and had “deep puncture wounds” on its hind leg that were unrelated to the capture. The wolf’s body weight was almost 30% lower than it was when it was released in December 2023, when it weighed 104 pounds, CPW said, and it died despite receiving antibiotics for an infection.
Now, a necropsy has determined the wolf died as a result of a gunshot wound, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday. The federal agency said it was seeking information “regarding the illegal killing of a gray wolf in Grand County” and offering a reward.
“A necropsy revealed that a gunshot wound initiated the poor condition of the wolf and ultimately led to the cause of death,” federal officials said.
Gray wolves in Colorado are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, which means it’s illegal to harass, harm, or kill them.
The wolf was captured along with an adult female and four pups. The female and pups have been held in a sanctuary at an undisclosed location and state wildlife officials plan to release them back to the wild this winter.
The two adult wolves in the pack were brought to Colorado from Oregon a year ago, part of a voter-passed wolf reintroduction plan.
The Copper Creek pack lived near Kremmling and for months fed on cattle and sheep primarily on a single rancher’s land. State wildlife officials began capturing the wolves Aug. 22, a decision that came after the agency denied a request by rancher Conway Ferrell to take lethal action to protect his livestock.
The two adult wolves in the pack were the first of the introduced wolves known to have pups. A couple of weeks after the August capture of the two adults and four pups, state wildlife officials revealed that they believed a fifth pup was left behind on its own. They saw the pup on game cameras set up in Grand County.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife attempted to capture the fifth pup for 19 nights, then called off the operation in October. Declining temperatures made it unsafe to move the animal, they said.
The Copper Creek wolf was one of three of the 10 reintroduced wolves that have died. Another died in Grand County in September and was discovered by wildlife officials after its collar sent a “mortality signal.” A necropsy later determined that the wolf likely died from a fight with another wolf, and that it had a healed gunshot wound on its leg, according to federal officials.
The first of the reintroduced wolves to die, also a male, was likely killed by a mountain lion, CPW said. It was found dead in Larimer County in April and had puncture wounds to its skull.
The U.S. Department of Interior on Dec. 2 denied a request from The Colorado Sun for a copy of the necropsy report on the wolf found dead in September in Grand County, saying that releasing the document could “interfere with enforcement proceedings.” The release could “reveal the full scope of evidence obtained” and the “strengths and weaknesses” of the government’s case, federal officials said.
A person who shoots a wolf could face a $50,000 fine and up to a year in prison.
In addition to the federal reward, conservation organizations were pitching in with reward money. The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project pledged $50,000, and the Center for Biological Diversity said it was adding $15,000 to the pot. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not say how much it was offering.
“It’s horrible to hear that a selfish poacher caused the death of the historic Copper Creek pack’s father,” said Alli Henderson, the center’s southern Rockies director. “It’s common knowledge that wolves in Colorado are protected under the Endangered Species Act and that this wolf could not be lawfully shot. Gunning down this irreplaceable wolf was illegal and morally wrong.”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife urged anyone with information regarding the death of the wolf to contact the wildlife crime hotline at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (397-8477) or at FWS_TIPS@fws.gov, or https://www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips.