Colorado indefinitely halts gray wolf introduction
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A wolf runs in a snow-covered field in British Columbia as a helicopter flies overhead during capture operations in January 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Colorado is indefinitely delaying its efforts to reintroduce gray wolves amid the Trump administration's threats to take over the program.
Why it matters: Gov. Jared Polis administration's decision is a major setback for the voter-approved program and reflects the escalating costs and tensions involved in returning the apex predator to the Colorado wilds.
Driving the news: Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials on Wednesday reversed course on plans to release additional wolves this winter and did not commit to future releases, saying only that they would continue exploring options.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife agency is scrutinizing Colorado's program after sending a letter last month demanding more information about the state's wolf reintroduction plans. The state agency complied, a spokesperson said.
The intrigue: If not completed, the Trump administration had threatened legal action, including taking over wolf management and revoking the state's special permit allowing reintroduction.
The big picture: The administration is intervening after months of conflict with wolves attacking livestock on Western Slope ranches.
- Trump ally U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Windsor) proposed legislation in 2025 to delist the gray wolf from the endangered and threatened list, allowing them to be hunted. The measure passed the House.
What they're saying: "This is a complicated effort," Colorado Parks and Wildlife Acting Director Laura Clellan said in a statement announcing the delay. "I want to encourage all stakeholders to continue to work together as we move toward the goal of creating a self-sustaining population of wolves in the state, while at the same time minimizing conflict with livestock."
By the numbers: Colorado has relocated 25 wolves since the program began in December 2023. Eleven have died since then, including one earlier this week.
- Others bred, and officials estimate at least 19 wolves are living in the state right now, mostly on the Western Slope.
What we're watching: The ongoing challenge for Colorado is where to source additional wolves. The planned release of 15 wolves this winter, all from British Columbia, hit a roadblock in late 2025.
- Federal wildlife officials sent a "cease and desist" order in October, saying that the move would violate the state's existing agreement with the agency, a turnabout from the Biden administration's stance.
- Washington state also rejected Colorado's request for wolves a month later.
The bottom line: It's too early to know what the delay in introduction will mean for the wolf population in Colorado.
- "When populations are small, the contributions of each individual [are] especially significant," said state wolf program manager Eric Odell.