A yearling male wolf in Grand County has become the 17th wolf to die in Colorado in the past two years.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that its staff killed the wolf on Aug. 4 because it was believed to be responsible for killing four calves in Jackson and Grand counties between June 29 and Aug. 1.

The state agency’s announcement said the producers had pursued nonlethal measures to minimize conflict with the wolf.

Ranchers have told Colorado Politics that those minimization efforts are ineffective.

The wolf killed on Tuesday is the second mortality in 10 days. Another wolf had been found dead in northwest Colorado, according to a CPW announcement, but no further details were made available.

Colorado had imported 25 wolves over two rounds — in December 2023 and January 2025 — with 10 coming from Oregon and 15 from British Columbia.

Of the Oregon wolves, six have died. Seven of the wolves from British Columbia have also died.

Two of the Oregon wolves produced a pack of five. The male was believed responsible for killing livestock in Grand County, and two of those yearlings were killed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife after repeated livestock depredations in Routt and Pitkin counties.

According to the wildlife agency’s website, wolves have killed five sheep and 10 calves or cows in seven counties since June 29, including the four attributed to the yearling wolf that was killed Tuesday.

The state has spent millions of dollars compensating ranchers for livestock deaths and low birth rates or market weights due to wolf activity. In addition, the state has far exceeded its expected spending on the wolf program, forcing the state to use funds designated for other conservation purposes.

The wildlife agency suspended its efforts to bring in wolves this year after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service denied the state permission to relocate more from British Columbia last year.