The breeding male wolf of the King Mountain Pack in Routt County is dead. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) reported in early February that the three-year-old male, imported from Oregon in 2023, died on January 28th during what the agency said was a routine collaring operation. Apparently, the batteries in two collars were running low and CPW chose to replace them.
In a press release issued on February 3, a week after the wolf died, CPW said that the results of an in-house necropsy are pending. Normally, grey wolf necropsies are performed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. But in this case, Fish and Wildlife gave CPW permission to take care of it
The wolf apparently died at some point between capture and when it was delivered to CPW staff in the field. CPW states that staff attempted resuscitation and that staff and contractors followed CPW Animal Care and Use Committee guidelines during the operation.
The press release did not include how the wolf was captured, who delivered the wolf to CPW staff on January 28th or if the death was related to the capture operation. CPW stated that an independent, third-party veterinarian was present during the necropsy but it is unknown whether a veterinarian was present in the field.
The adult female and one pup from the King Mountain Pack were also captured and collared. All four pups were observed during the operation. Further captures have since been paused.
Samantha Miller, senior carnivore campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, told KDNK that the loss of this wolf is a blow to the reintroduction project. “ The death of this wolf, who is the father of the King Mountain Wolf family, is a painful reminder that every wolf matters in Colorado's small, still-recovering wolf population,” she said.
Another grey wolf died on January 16. This time it was female Number 2504, originally part of the group of 15 wolves relocated from British Columbia in 2025. CPW has not disclosed cause of death or location other than she was found dead in the northwestern part of the state.
These two deaths bring the total of wolf deaths in the state to 14 since relocation began in 2023. Two of those deaths were pups born in Colorado. Four packs have formed across the state but the mortality rate is now below the 70% threshold that could trigger a protocol review, according to the state wolf management plan.
Miller added that Federal interference in the program isn’t helping.“This loss is made even worse by the Trump administration's hostile efforts to block urgently needed additional wolf releases and override the will of Colorado voters,” she said.
According to reports, CPW had until January 17 to provide the US Fish and Wildlife Service with information about grey wolf conservation and management activities since 2023 or face legal consequences. CPW responded on January 16. The federal government also ordered CPW in October to stop importing wolves from Canada, which put a crimp in the agency’s 2026 reintroduction efforts.
