CPW takes lethal action after wolf linked to livestock kills in rural Colorado

By Piper Russell | The Denver Gazette

Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced on Friday that it shot a wolf that had been chronically depredating livestock in Rio Blanco County. However, the carcass has not been found.

CPW also said that after conducting DNA analysis on samples gathered from the uncollared gray wolf in Rio Blanco County it was confirmed that the uncollared wolf was the fifth Copper Creek yearling that was not captured with the rest of the pack in fall 2024.

The wolf is suspected to have killed six animals from livestock producers in Rio Blanco County.

The depredations started on July 20 when the Division and Wildlife Services was notified of a dead lamb on a livestock producers’ allotment northeast of Meeker Colorado. That attack was followed by others reported on July 22, Aug. 2 and Aug. 16.

CPW decided that the livestock producer was experiencing chronic depredation by a wolf, despite having implemented all “viable, reasonable and effective nonlethal deterrence measures.”

Although wildfires in the area slowed down CPW’s effort to lethally remove the wolf, the agency used thermal optics to find the wolf and shoot it once with a .25-06 rifle. Staff immediately started searching for the wolf but were not able to locate it.

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