One of the wolves imported from British Columbia and released in January in Colorado was lethally removed in Wyoming by federal officials on March 15.

According to USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA’s Wildlife Services responded to a sheep predation event on private lands in north central Wyoming. Evidence consistent with wolf depredation was observed at the site, including wolf tracks, struggle sites, carcasses with premortem hemorrhaging, and bite marks consistent with known wolf predations. 

In total, five adult sheep were killed by an adult wolf, including one sheep that was heavily fed upon. Wildlife Services removed a wolf at the predation location and upon closer examination, identified that the wolf had a collar from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

COLORADO WOLF

Wyoming Game and Fish returned the wolf and the collar to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which was identified by CPW as male gray wolf 2505-BC.

CPW biologists received a mortality alert on March 16. CPW confirmed 2505-BC was part of the group of wolves translocated to Colorado from British Columbia and came from areas where there is no overlap between wolves and livestock. Wolves are known to travel long distances to find food or mates, including into other states.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an agreement with Utah, New Mexico and Arizona should any of the reintroduced gray wolves travel to these states that allows those wolves to be captured and returned in an effort to protect the Mexican wolf populations in those states.

According to CPW, a dog was killed in Jackson County on March 9. No claim was submitted as the wolf plan does not compensate for pet losses. The first depredation claim of 2025 was on Feb. 5 for a cow in Jackson County. That compensation of $2,097.66 was paid.

Three translocated wolves from Oregon died since their release last year. This is the first of the British Columbia wolves to die since their release. One wolf died upon capture in British Columbia.