CPW said it received a mortality signal in northwest Colorado for gray wolf 2310, the maternal member of the King Mountain pack.
JACKSON COUNTY, Colorado — The female wolf of the mating pair for the King Mountain pack has died, bringing total fatalities to 14 out of the 25 animals reintroduced in Colorado.
The wolf, identified as No. 2310, was among the 10 wolves brought to Colorado from Oregon in December 2023.
The male of the King Mountain pack mating pair had died in January in Routt County following a botched collaring operation conducted by a Colorado Parks and Wildllife contractor. That operation drew criticism from wolf advocates at the March 5 parks and wildlife commission meeting. Advocates claimed the effort was reckless and that the contractor hired was a “bargain basement contractor who had a history of deaths” in similar efforts.
State wildlife authorities did not mention the male’s death in the announcement Friday. The wildlife agency had announced the birth of pups to the mating pair — the group became the King Mountain pack — last July. It’s unknown how many pups are in the pack.