GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) concluded that a wolf most likely died in Grand County because of injuries from a fight with another wolf, 9NEWS learned on Thursday.
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson confirmed that the dead wolf was the one known as 2307.
The USFWS necropsy found the wolf had trauma, which they found to be consistent with injuries caused by other wolves.
"Analysis of hair samples collected from the scene further supports the involvement of another wolf," a statement to 9NEWS read.
USFWS found the wolf had an old, healed gunshot wound but that the wound was unrelated to its death.
CPW believed the wolf had killed livestock in Jackson County on April 7 and May 25.
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson previously said that CPW received a mortality signal from wolf 2307 on Sept. 9. CPW confirmed the male wolf had died the next day. CPW informed the public of the death on Sept. 12.
Around that same time, CPW reported the death of a male wolf from a pack in Grand County that the agency had recently captured. The cause of death for that wolf remains unknown.
A reintroduced wolf also died in April in Larimer County. The necropsy found the wolf was most likely killed by a mountain lion.
Here is the full statement from USFWS:
"On September 10, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service became aware of a deceased gray wolf in Grand County, Colorado. Necropsy results indicate that the wolf died from injuries consistent with a fight, likely involving another wolf. The examination revealed trauma typical of wounds caused by wolves and other canids and preliminary analysis of hair samples collected from the scene further supports the involvement of another wolf. Although the wolf had an old, healed gunshot wound to its rear leg, it was in good nutritional condition at the time of death."
9NEWS has not yet received the full death investigation, through a public record request.
