DENVER, Colo. (KOAA) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says that one of Colorado's gray wolves has been re-released into the state after being captured in New Mexico.
“We are grateful to our partners at the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for their efforts to capture and return a member of Colorado’s gray wolf population. Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts.”
CPW says that the effort to capture wolf 2403 was started by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, in compliance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the bordering states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, regarding the wolves.
The MOU was created before the wolves were relocated, and establishes that any gray wolves that leave Colorado for the previously listed states will be sent back to Colorado, and any Mexican wolves that leave Arizona and New Mexico will also be sent back.
When choosing where to relocate the wolf, CPW took the following factors into account;
- proximity to an unpaired female gray wolf in an effort to support pairing
- nearby natural prey populations
- distance from livestock
The wolf was a part of the Copper Creek pack, but split from the pack during the fall. CPW says that the wolf wasn't relocated to address a depredation situation.
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