Colorado Parks and Wildlife say they have placed a GPS tracking collar on a gray wolf in north central Colorado. 

The 4-year-old male wolf that weighs approximately 110 pounds was spotted in late January traveling with another collared wolf that entered Colorado in 2019 from Wyoming, CPW said Tuesday in a release. 

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CPW officials contracted a company that netted the wolf from a helicopter and tranquilized it, so officials could put on the GPS collar, just inside the Wyoming state line, officials said.

Researchers say they will use the information from the collar to learn about the wolf’s travel patterns.

“The GPS collar will allow our biologists and wildlife managers to learn more about the travel patterns of wolves that are coming into the state,” said Dan Prenzlow, the director of CPW, in the release. “The more advanced GPS collar will allow us to get a much better understanding of the animal’s movement, range and behaviors.”

During the collaring process the wolf underwent a health exam by officials and CPW staff remained with the animal until it was alert and mobile. 

Officials notified Wyoming’s Game and Fish about the collaring operation taking place in their jurisdiction, officials said. 

“We appreciate Wyoming Game and Fish,” Prenzlow said. “I understand this work impacts them and wildlife don’t understand where our dividing boundaries are.”

Gray wolves remain an endangered species in Colorado and may not be killed for any reason other than self-defense. With the narrow passage of Proposition 114 in November, the state is working on a plan to reintroduce wolves in the state.