Media statement: Colorado Gray Wolf 2514 Mortality in Rocky Mountain National Park
Media contacts:
Travis Duncan
CPW Public Information Supervisor
720-595-8294 / [email protected]
Tina Shaw
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
[email protected]
Kyle Patterson
Management Specialist/Public Affairs Officer
Rocky Mountain National Park
970-586-1363 / [email protected]
Media statement: Colorado Gray Wolf 2514 Mortality in Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists received a mortality alert for female gray wolf 2514-BC on April 20. The agency, in cooperation with the National Park Service, has confirmed the mortality took place in Rocky Mountain National Park. As a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating. A final determination of the cause of death will not be made until the investigation is completed, including the necropsy, a foundational component of the overall investigation process. 2514-BC was part of the group of wolves translocated to Colorado from British Columbia. No additional details are available at this time.
Wolf survival in Colorado is within normal margins for a wolf population in the Rocky Mountains. Any reintroduction effort includes eventual mortality levels and these were incorporated into the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. Mortality is a factor that plays a role in all natural populations. The average lifespan of a gray wolf in the Rocky Mountains is generally 3-4 years.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
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