Colorado wildlife officials on Sunday announced they have completed the capture and release for the second gray wolf reintroduction season.

Fifteen wolves — seven males and eight females — were translocated from the central interior of British Columbia to Colorado, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife said. Separately, the agency released five members of the original Copper Creek pack recaptured in September, a news release says.

All the animals were released in Eagle and Pitkin counties, the agency said, adding five wolves were released on each of these dates: Jan. 12, 14 and 16.

Jan. 12 marked the 30th anniversary of wolves first being introduced from Canada to Yellowstone National Park, the agency said.

No further wolf releases are planned for the 2024-2025 capture season. This is the second of three to five release seasons of wolves. The operation is part of the Colorado Wolf Restoration Management Plan developed after voters approved Proposition 114 in 2020.

The state agency said that, in accordance with the ballot measure, it will recover and maintain a viable, self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado while managing interactions between wolves, people and livestock.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to release 10 to 15 gray wolves on the Western Slope per year, over three to five years, as outlined in the plan. In December 2023, the agency released its first 10 wolves in Grand and Summit counties. The agency did not release more wolves in 2024, as it had originally planned.

Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program has strained the relationship between the state and livestock growers, who, along with state legislators, have accused the state of botching the reintroduction rollout. They argued that the program’s deficiencies have not been cured and many of the proposed tactics are not in place, even as the calving season approaches.

In the last year, three of the 10 reintroduced wolves died, with one being illegally shot. The wolves have killed 27 sheep and cattle in the state, the agency said. Ranchers recently submitted nearly $600,000 in claims, an amount that would more than bankrupt the state’s wolf depredation compensation fund, which received $350,000 in the 2024-25 budget. Over three years, the wolf reintroduction program has cost the state more than $5.1 million. 

Following the livestock depredations, CPW said it has expanded and improved capabilities the agency has for producers through its Conflict Minimization Program. The agency claimed the program will allow for a faster response to conflicts, higher likelihood of effective nonlethal deployment and improved strategies for altering depredation behavior early, thereby reducing the potential for repeated depredations.

“As restoration efforts continue, CPW is committed to working with livestock owners, communities, state agencies and all partners to reduce the likelihood of wolf-livestock conflict. Our goal is to keep ranchers ranching, while at the same time restoring a healthy, sustainable population of gray wolves to Colorado as mandated,” CPW Director Jeff Davis said.

British Columbia operation

Over the course of six days, the wolves were captured in Canada, wildlife officials said. The wolves were captured from areas in British Columbia, where predator reduction is occurring to support caribou recovery.

The wildlife agency said animal welfare and safety were prioritized throughout all the stages of the project and all the wolves received a high level of veterinary care. They were vaccinated and collared, the agency said. One wolf died following its capture. The veterinary staff said that the animal’s age and underlying conditions may have contributed to the death, the agency added.

State officials said , biologists were careful to select wolves that met the criteria identified at the outset of the program. Wolves from this area of British Columbia don’t overlap with areas where livestock are present, so there are no concerns that the wolves selected have been involved in repeated livestock depredations, the agency said.

British Columbia has an abundant gray wolf population with an estimated range of 5,300 to 11,600 animals. They are widely distributed throughout the province, CPW said.

Copper Creek operation

Two adult wolves and four pups from the Copper Creek pack were captured in September. One of the wolves — the adult male — died shortly afterward. Investigators later determined that it had been shot.

The capture operation was part of an effort by the wildlife agency to relocate the pack after wolves killed livestock.

On Jan. 18, CPW successfully relocated the Copper Creek female and the four pups, which have been in a secure facility since late August and early September. The pups were released with the female to ensure that they learn to hunt, the agency said in the news release. Each wolf was fitted with a collar for tracking and will be monitored closely.

The agency said its decision to release the Copper Creek pack considered multiple factors, including their health, timing of the additional 15 wolves’ release and the proximity to the new wolves.

Reporter Marianne Goodland contributed to this article.