Colorado Parks and Wildlife Reports Gray Wolf Mortality During Routine Capture Operations in Routt County

Description: Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that gray wolf 2305 of the King Mountain Pack died during collaring operations in Routt County on Jan. 28, 2026. Capture efforts have been paused while circumstances are reviewed. Read the Full Statement from CPW...

Gray wolf mortality occurs during capture operations in Routt County

DENVER - On January 28, 2026, gray wolf 2305 — the three-year-old breeding male in the King Mountain Pack — died during routine collaring operations in Routt County.

“All wildlife capture operations come with a risk and while we meticulously prepare and take every precaution to ensure a positive outcome, there is always the possibility, even if small, that the worst happens,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Acting Director Laura Clellan. “Our staff and contractors carefully followed CPW Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) guidelines during this operation, but when the animal was delivered to CPW staff in the field from the initial capture site, it was unresponsive. Our team initiated resuscitation efforts but determined the animal had died.”

CPW performed a necropsy at its Health Lab in Fort Collins. Final results and lab tests from the necropsy are still pending and will help determine if there were any underlying conditions that contributed to the death of 2305.

An independent third-party veterinary pathologist was in attendance for the necropsy and will confirm all exam results.

As gray wolves in Colorado are a federally endangered species, the standard protocol for necropsies is that they be performed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In this case, because this was not a potential law enforcement investigation, CPW received permission from USFWS to perform this necropsy to help expedite the process.

“We are grateful for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s support in accelerating this process so it could be communicated to the public in a timely manner,” Clellan said. “While ACUC guidelines do not necessitate a pause in capture operations following one mortality event, CPW has decided to cease capture operations for the time being while we evaluate the circumstances around this mortality.”

In addition to the capture of 2305, the adult female and one pup from King Mountain Pack were successfully captured and collared during this operation. Summer counts had indicated four pups in this pack. All four pups, including the newly collared pup, were observed during this operation.

“It’s not yet possible to understand the long term implications to the King Mountain Pack as a result of this mortality,” said CPW Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell. “We will continue to monitor this pack to evaluate their status and how they are contributing to the establishment of a self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado.”

Why was CPW conducting collaring operations? 
Maintaining functioning collars assists CPW with monitoring the activity of wolves in Colorado including tracking wolf localizations to aid with the timely deployment of conflict minimization resources. The agency strives to keep at least two members of each pack collared as outlined in the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. CPW staff were aware that the collars of the breeding adults of King Mountain Pack had low batteries and therefore wanted to replace them to maintain connectivity with the pack.

“These sorts of capture efforts are a routine part of CPW’s wolf monitoring efforts and the program has had very successful capture operations up to this point,” Clellan said. “Operations like this are standard across a number of different species and are an important aspect of successful wildlife management in Colorado. We continue to be confident in the abilities of our staff who lead the processing side of these efforts as well as the contractors who conduct the captures.”

In addition to the King Mountain Pack, CPW continues to monitor three other confirmed packs and other known wolves in the state. The number of pups successfully recruited into the population will be included in the minimum population count in CPW’s annual gray wolf report which will be available early summer.

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