Two wolves living in Colorado are now being tracked via GPS as of Thursday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Authorities caught the wolves together in the North Park area after receiving reports from the public of sightings in recent weeks.

One of the wolves, dubbed “Male 2101,” had been captured and collared two years ago, though that collar had since failed. The other wolf, dubbed Male 2301, is presumed to be one of the six offspring of Male 2101 and his mate (Female 1084), born in 2021.

The breeding pair of wolves had previously migrated into the state and were not part of any sort of wolf reintroduction effort.

“Refitting 2101 and having a second GPS collar will allow our biologists and wildlife managers to continue learning about the behavior of these wolves,” said CPW Acting Director Heather Disney Dugan.

A helicopter was used in the collection of the wolves, with a CPW-contracted company shooting at least one of the animals from the sky with a tranquilizer dart.

In addition to being collared, the wolves were given a health exam and were reported to be in good health.

While the GPS collars provide valuable information to the state’s wildlife experts, they are not monitored in real time. Field observations, such as wolf prints and scat, are the primary means of verifying the presence of wolves in a given area.

Reports of sightings also are crucial to the state’s wolf monitoring effort.

CPW officials encouraged the public to report sightings via their online reporting form.

It’s unknown exactly how many wolves live in Colorado, though their numbers are believed to be in the single digits. Public reports are crucial to monitoring their presence.

A plan for formal reintroduction of the gray wolf into Colorado has been drafted and is set to be put in place by the end of the year.

Colorado wolf importation hasn’t started yet, but one rancher feels he’s already at the epicenter