Wolf 2516 becomes 20th Colorado wolf to die since 2023

A female gray wolf has died in Utah, bringing the total number of wolves lost in Colorado since reintroduction began to 20.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed a mortality alert from the animal's tracking collar on November 7. The wolf, designated 2516, was one of 25 animals transplanted from British Columbia in two separate groups starting in December 2023. She was part of the second group brought to the state in January 2025.

Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and local law enforcement, are investigating the circumstances of the death. None of the groups released a cause of death or additional details as of the confirmation.

The state's gray wolf population stood at 45 individuals as of September 24. That count included breeding adults, yearlings, and 20 pups. With the death of wolf 2516, the population now totals 44.

Of the original 25 transplanted wolves, 14 have died by mid-2026. Causes include vehicle strikes, capture complications, legal traps, predators, and shootings. CPW and state agents have killed six wolves, including offspring, after repeated livestock predation. Three of those were shot within a three-day period in early September.

CPW announced on September 30 that it would temporarily suspend its directive allowing the killing of wolves that harass or kill livestock. The agency cited concerns about population growth for the current biological year and possible evidence of an infectious parasite. Pup survival rates for 2025-2026 reached 82%, a figure higher than the typical 50% to 60% seen in Western wolf populations. The agency noted that this rate is expected to decline by the end of the biological year in March 2027.