GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Video taken by Mike Usalavage and shared Monday by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) shows three healthy wolf pups born to a male and female that were reintroduced to Colorado last year.
The video, reviewed and validated by CPW wolf biologists, shows the three pups and one adult from the Copper Creek pack. CPW said in June that the pair had reproduced and confirmed at least one pup was born.
On Monday, CPW spokesperson Rachael Gonzales said the agency now considers the minimum number of pups in the pack to be three, though there might be more. Wolf litters typically consist of four to six pups, CPW previously said.
The pups are about 40 to 50 pounds and are seen playing in the video.
"Playing not only allows a wolf pup to practice hunting behaviors but also teaches them how to communicate effectively with other wolves, which is a skill they will use throughout their lives as social creatures living in packs," CPW said on social media.
Anyone who believes they've seen a wolf can complete a wolf sighting form. The information helps biologists to monitor wolves and their movement in Colorado.
CPW said wolves can breed at almost 2 years old. All of the wolves known to be in Colorado were capable of breeding in February. They breed once a year during the late winter months, typically in mid-to-late February.
Ten gray wolves were released in Grand and Summit counties in mid-December in accordance with a voter-approved reintroduction program. Those were in addition to two wolves that dispersed into Jackson County on their own and produced six pups in 2021.
For more information about wolves in Colorado, click here.