The center said nonlethal coexistence measures involve \u201cproven tools that protect rural livelihoods and support predictable wolf behavior,\u201d but that CPW\u2019s current rules aren\u2019t clear enough about what reasonable conflict minimization measures are.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They want tighter rules around the use of things like flags hung on fences to scare predators, flashing lights, livestock guardian dogs<\/a> and range riders, as well proof these have been used \u2014 and the removal of dead animal carcasses away from herds \u2014 before CPW will issue a permit to kill a wolf confirmed to have killed livestock.\u00a0<\/p>\n The petition would require written, evidence-based determinations before lethal control begins. It would also require evidence from wolf kills be independent from compensation claims. And it would establish consistent standards for all lethal control operations, whether taken by the state or federal agency or an individual livestock operator that receives approval from the state.<\/p>\n It comes as the number of surviving translocated wolves brought to Colorado since December 2023 has dropped from 25 to 13, after a series of deaths, including that of a male gray wolf during a capture operation<\/a> in which CPW biologists were trying to fit it with a new tracking collar.<\/p>\n The other wolves died in conflicts with other predators<\/a>; when they were killed after wandering into <\/a>and preying on livestock in Wyoming<\/a>; from blunt force trauma when hit by a vehicle;<\/a> from complications related to entrapment<\/a> in a snare set legally for coyotes and by lethal removal <\/a>after one wolf preyed on livestock in Pitkin County.\u00a0<\/p>\n As of early 2026, at least 26 wolves tied to relocation efforts are on the ground, including the surviving 13 translocated from Oregon and British Columbia, four known pups born to the Copper Creek pack in 2024, and at least six born to the One Ear pack<\/a> and three to the King Mountain pack<\/a> last year. One other pack has formed and the Copper Creek female is said to have produced a second litter, but a CPW spokesperson said an updated pup count won\u2019t be available until the 2025-26 Colorado Gray Wolf Annual Report is released this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Prior to the capture-operation death, CPW spokesperson Luke Perkins said the wolf deaths were not \u201cunexpectedly high.\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n But Colorado\u2019s wolf population is vulnerable after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stopped CPW from bringing 15 wolves it had planned to capture<\/a> in British Columbia into the state in January.<\/p>\n Claims for compensation when wolves kill livestock are also high: At its meeting Thursday, the Parks and Wildlife Commission approved more than $700,000 in compensation<\/a> to six ranchers who reported losses in 2025. The agency is reviewing additional 2025 claims that could push the compensation total above $1 million. When Colorado voters approved wolf reintroduction they did so with the stipulation that producers be compensated fairly for the carnivores\u2019 impacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Center for Biological Diversity\u2019s petition says changes it seeks will increase consistency and transparency when dealing with chronic depredation determinations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n It would also reduce the time a chronic depredation permit is valid from 45 to 30 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alli Henderson, the Center for Biological Diversity\u2019s southern Rockies director, said \u201cColorado can protect livestock and uphold science-based wolf management at the same time. This petition is about clarity, fairness and prevention, and making sure lethal control is truly a last resort.\u201d<\/p>\n But Tim Ritschard, a Grand County rancher and president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, said producers are already doing everything they can to prevent conflict, and nonlethal methods \u201chave a shelf life\u201d so \u201cwhat is the agency going to do when they stop working?\u201d<\/p>\n Compensation \u201cjust shows what\u2019s really working on the ground and the true cost of wolves coming back,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n And the petition seems like a politically driven \u201cattack to try and remove livestock off of public lands or remove agriculture in general.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7-17-25-Summer_2025_pup-CPW-1350-x-1080-px-1200x960.png\")
A gray wolf pup born to the King Mountain Pack in Routt County was photographed on June 22, 2025, by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife trail camera near the pack\u2019s den. Biologists believe all four of the packs that include wolves moved from Oregon and British Columbia have pups. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife photo)<\/p>\n