Colorado Parks and Wildlife announces Copper Creek wolf pack capture operations are complete

Travis Duncan
Public Information Supervisor
720-595-8294 / [email protected]

DENVER - On September 9, 2024, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with technical support from federal partners, completed the process to capture all six animals from the Copper Creek wolf pack. 

The adult female 2312-OR, adult male 2309-OR, as well as four pups from the Copper Creek pack were transported to a secure location for evaluation and monitoring. 2312-OR was captured first, found in good body condition and transported with no issues. 

CPW biologists were on site to assess the health of the animals, and facilitate transportation to a large, secure enclosure with limited human interaction to balance the needs of the animals and Colorado communities. 

After conducting additional survey work following the capture of the last pup and not finding anything additional, CPW staff is confident that all the members of the Copper Creek pack have been captured. 

The Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan states that CPW will not relocate wolves with depredation histories into the wild within Colorado.

“The plan also calls for flexibility,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis, “and it may not at times account for every unique situation the agency and our experts encounter. This spring, after a pair of wolves established a den in Middle Park, the male adult wolf was involved in multiple depredations. Removing the male at that time, while he was the sole source of food and the female was denning, would likely have been fatal to the pups and counter to the restoration mandate.”   

“Working closely with internal and external wildlife biologists, CPW’s wildlife veterinarians, federal partners, and ranchers, CPW created a plan to deal with this unique situation that’s in the best interest of the wolves and Grand County producers,” said Davis.

The agency is providing an update that the adult male wolf, 2309-OR who was captured next following the capture of 2312-OR, was found in poor condition, with several injuries to his right hind leg, unrelated to the capture. The wolf’s body weight was nearly 30% lower than it was when he was released in December. CPW staff administered antibiotics in an effort to address infections from his injury. Four days after transport, CPW’s wolf team biologists received a mortality signal from 2309-OR’s collar and the animal was confirmed to be deceased. CPW staff believes that it was unlikely the wolf would have survived for very long in the wild.  A full necropsy will be conducted. Pups 2401, 2403, 2405, and 2402 were captured over the course of three days, with capture operations concluding on September 8 and were underweight and otherwise healthy.

The pups are still primarily dependent on adults for food, have deciduous teeth and are not effective hunters of anything larger than a rabbit or squirrel. There is no evidence that the four pups were involved in any of the livestock depredation incidents in Grand County. CPW will continue to assess the female and pups' health and advance plans to re-release them, as they will be adult-sized and able to hunt on their own or together in a pack. This approach gives CPW the opportunity to release them into the wild together so they can contribute to wolf restoration in Colorado. CPW will have conversations with local elected officials and landowners in possible release areas before a release occurs.

The August and September months are the most difficult for wild wolves given natural prey fitness. Holding them will allow CPW to ensure that their caloric needs are being met and will allow the agency to evaluate their progress over the coming weeks and work to ensure that all animals are in good condition before being released. 

“We are still in the early stages of the restoration plan. Our legal obligation to Colorado voters is to continue working towards a sustainable population. We also must continue our efforts to minimize losses to our producers and to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of the wolves as we work towards a viable gray wolf population,” said Davis.

“We will take the lessons we’ve learned here and apply them as we continue to build out a strong program alongside our federal and state partners, and both the wolf restoration advocacy and ranching communities. The more we’re able to listen to understand one another and increase cooperation, the better off we’ll all be in the long run. Our focus in this case now is on a healthy release of the remaining members of the Copper Creek pack,” said Davis.

Timeline of Copper Creek pack capture operation:
On Thursday, August 22, CPW began the operation to capture and relocate wolves from the depredating Copper Creek wolf pack, with technical support from federal partners.

• The adult female 2312-OR was captured on Saturday, August 24.
• The adult male 2309-OR was captured on Friday, August 30 and died on Tuesday, September 3.
• The male pup 2401 was captured on Tuesday, September 3.
• Male pups 2403 and 2405 were captured on Wednesday, September 4.
• The female pup 2402 was captured on Thursday, September 5.

After three more days of operations, CPW felt confident there were no additional pups on the landscape. For the safety of these animals and staff, CPW will not be sharing the location of the pack.

For additional information, please see CPW’s Copper Creek Pack Operations Frequently Asked Questions document.