By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Despite allegations and innuendos from animal rights activists, wolf 2307-OR died as a result of a fight with another wolf, not a gunshot wound last September.
Wolf 2307-OR was found dead after his collar signaled that he had died, on Sept. 9, 2024, CPW reported in a press release Sept. 12, 20224, concerning the event three days earlier.
CPW, at the time, said that 2307-OR was killed by another wolf, but then backtracked when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) noted there was a gunshot injury. Months later, the pathology report concluded that the gunshot was not a factor in the wolf’s demise.
In a Jan. 8 meeting of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, commissioners heard repeated accusations from pro-wolf activists that “people in the room” may very well be the people who shot and “murdered” this and other wolves. To date, there is no proof of those allegations, and in this case, it appears the “murderer” was in fact, another wolf.
Wolf 2307-OR was a male wolf that had been captured in Oregon and relocated to Northwest Colorado in December 2023, and is one of the wolves that killed livestock in Jackson County on April 7 and May 24, 2024.
The rancher that lost livestock in the May event told reporters at the time that (male) 2307-OR and (female) 2308-OR could have been paired up when the male was killed by another male wolf. Male wolf 2301-OR was seen paired up with the female after 2307 died. His reasoning is that he had been seeing all three, (and more) on his ranch in Jackson County and had photos confirming the identity.
CPW had confirmed in earlier reporting that the collar on female 2308 had stopped working in late March, but that the male 2307 was still working at the time of his demise.
One of the controversies surrounding the capture and relocation of the Oregon wolves was the stated policy concerning relocating wolves. CPW policy was that wolves would not come from a livestock depredating pack. The public soon found out that some of the wolves from Oregon were known for killing livestock.
According to reporting from 9 News, after obtaining the pathology reports from the USFWS, the wolf did not die from being shot.
The pathology report confirmed that wolf 2307- OR was in good physical condition prior to being killed by another wolf, noting that it had good body fat stores. It also confirmed that at some point the wolf had been shot in the leg, but that the leg had completely healed and was not related to his demise.
The pathologist said in the report, “In my opinion, necropsy findings are consistent with fight wounds as the cause of death. The character of the wounds is most suspicious for intraspecific (wolf on wolf) fighting.”
Because wolves are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, as well as protected by the state of Colorado, anyone who shoots and injures or kills a wolf will be charged with a felony.