LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A necropsy performed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has found the likely cause of death for one of 10 gray wolves that was reintroduced in Colorado.
For the first time Thursday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) identified the deceased wolf as 2303-OR, a gray colored male. Records, 9NEWS Investigates obtained from CPW, show this wolf came from the Five Points pack and weighed 76 pounds when CPW released it.
Wolves from Oregon's Five Points pack killed livestock on three different occasions from December, 2022 through July, 2023. Oregon allowed four wolves from the pack to be euthanized, because of their continued attacks on livestock.
CPW took two wolves, a make and female, from the Five Points pack. People raised concerns about the wolves from that pack, because the state of Oregon allowed four wolves from it to be killed.
A CPW spokesperson told 9NEWS this wolf was alone when it died.
The wolf was found dead on April 18 in Larimer County. The USFWS investigated the death with the cooperation of Colorado Parks and Wildlife and found the wolf was likely killed by a mountain lion.
The initial necropsy report on the deceased gray wolf found that the cause of death was trauma, consistent with predation, according to the USFWS.
"Although not definitive, the puncture wounds in the skull are consistent with those typically inflicted by a mountain lion," USFWS said in an email.
The USFWS was involved in the investigation because the gray wolf is a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, according to the statement.
Ten gray wolves were released in Grand and Summit counties in mid-December in accordance with a voter-approved reintroduction program. The wolf found dead in Larimer County was one of those 10 wolves, the USFWS said.
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