Injuries from a foothold trap is what killed a female wolf that was found dead in northwestern Colorado in May, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said Wednesday. The wolf was translocated from British Columbia in January, and it is the fifth of those 15 wolves to have died.
CPW said the trap was legally placed, but the agency is suspending its 30-day permits that allow the use of foothold/leghold traps and other traps and snars and “will provide additional guidance as soon as possible.”
“The mortality of female gray wolf 2512 in northwest Colorado on May 15 was due to an apparent secondary trauma from a lawful foothold trap used for coyote control,” CPW said of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation. Because the trap was lawful, neither agency is seeking any criminal charges.
In April 2024, a wolf from Michigan made its way to Colorado and died after getting caught in a foothold trap for more than a day in Elbert County.
Five out of the 15 wolves that were released into Eagle and Pitkin counties in January have been confirmed dead by wildlife officials. Two male wolves died in Wyoming, one of which was shot by game officials after it was determined that the animal was preying on livestock in the north central part of the state.
Colorado wildlife officials also confirmed Wednesday that a female gray wolf found dead April 20 in Rocky Mountain National Park was killed by a mountain lion. That wolf was reintroduced in January from British Columbia.
The USFWS is still investigating the death of collared male wolf 2507 on May 31. It was also released in January.
A total of eight wolves have died since Colorado began reintroducing them in December 2023. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials killed a young male wolf from the original pack in May after it attacked livestock in Pitkin County.
Type of Story: News
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