GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — The wolves that were brought to Colorado last December as part of the state's gray wolf reintroduction effort have had their first pup.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a release Thursday that their biologists have gathered evidence suggesting a male and female gray wolf pair have been denning, which indicates reproduction.
GPS collar data helped them determine that. CPW said the collared female's GPS points stopped uploading in early April and resumed uploading later in the month. The points for the female's collar showed a very localized position, according to CPW, which biologists interpreted to mean that she was likely in a den.
CPW said staff began working to confirm the den and whether pups were there. On Tuesday, CPW biologists confirmed one wolf pup in Grand County during routine wolf monitoring efforts. CPW said it's possible that there are more, as wolf litters typically consist of four to six pups. They will keep monitoring the wolves to determine how many have been born.
There are no photos or videos of the pup, according to CPW.
Now that the wolves have reproduced, CPW said, they are officially considered a pack. They're calling it the Copper Creek Pack.
“We are continuing to actively monitor this area while exercising extreme caution to avoid inadvertently disturbing the adult wolves, this pup, or other pups,” said CPW wildlife biologist Brenna Cassidy.
CPW said their biologists will continue to monitor the pack, and staff will work with landowners in the area to minimize the potential for conflict.
CPW said wolves can breed at almost two 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.
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