Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) rereleased gray wolf 2403 in Grand County on Thursday, Dec. 11, after it was captured by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, according to a CPW press release.
“We are grateful to our partners at the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for their efforts to capture and return a member of Colorado’s gray wolf population,” said Laura Clellan, CPW’s acting director. “Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts.”
When relocating the wolf, agency staff considered several factors regarding the release location, including proximity to an unpaired female to support pairing, nearby natural prey populations and distance from livestock, according to the press release.
CPW stated it will not publicly disclose the specific release location.
The capture was initiated by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in compliance with a memorandum of understanding regarding the reintroduction of gray wolves signed by Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.
The agreement was created as part of CPW’s planning for wolf restoration in Colorado prior to any translocation efforts. The multistate agreement establishes that any gray wolves leaving Colorado for Utah, Arizona or New Mexico will be relocated back to the state.
Conversely, any Mexican wolves that leave their population area within Arizona and New Mexico will be returned to the designated experimental area in the southern parts of those states.
In this case, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish led the operation to protect the integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program.
“We recognized during the planning process that we would need to have consideration and plans to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program while also establishing a gray wolf population in Colorado,” said Eric Odell, CPW’s wolf conservation program manager. “This MOU is a demonstration of the proactive steps CPW and neighboring state wildlife agencies took during our planning and implementation processes. Ultimately, the intent is to aid with the success of our program here in Colorado while minimizing any adverse impacts on Mexican wolf recovery efforts in our neighboring states.”
Gray wolf 2403 was a member of the Copper Creek pack, but dispersed in fall 2025. CPW noted it did not relocate this wolf to address a depredation situation, but because New Mexico officials captured the wolf and returned it to Colorado to protect the Mexican wolf population.
If conflicts with livestock occur, CPW said it will make management decisions on a case-by-case basis after evaluating the circumstances, the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan and relevant law.
Reaction
Conservation groups spoke out in opposition to the relocation of the wolf.
According to a press release issued by Wild Earth Guardians, “the relocation was not in response to any conflict but because, according to the CPW statement, [the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish] wants ‘to protect the integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program.’ “The incident highlights ongoing tension among agencies, advocates and scientists regarding recovery of both northern and Mexican gray wolves.”
Nico Lorenzen, wildlife associate of Wild Arizona, said, “Wolves disperse widely by nature and do so according to their own instinct and knowledge of the land. A single northern wolf crossing into New Mexico is not a genetic threat to the Mexican gray wolf. What is a threat and waste of limited management funding is the continued effort to police wolf movement along state lines instead of following robust science.”
Mexican gray wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) remain one of North America’s most endangered mammals, the release states, suffering from genetic inbreeding following their near extinction and repopulating from seven remaining wild lobos. Mexican gray wolves are on average as related as full siblings and additionally remain the target of anthropogenic mortality, including vehicle collisions and illegal killing. Scientists argue their recovery depends on greater protections, genetic rescue, northward expansion and connected habitat that allows movement between subpopulations.
“Trapping and relocating any wolf that steps over an invisible line does nothing to advance recovery goals. Genetic integrity is maintained through robust recovery planning — not by removing every northern wolf that enters New Mexico,” said Sally Paez, staff attorney for New Mexico Wild. “This approach ignores what the science tells us about carnivore movement and long-term viability.”
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