U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigating gray wolf death in Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the death of a female gray wolf last weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park is currently under investigation.

Officials said biologists received a mortality alert for wolf 2514 on April 20, and CPW and the National Park Service confirmed the location where she died. The wolf was part of a group taken from British Columbia to Colorado.

Gray wolves are listed under the Endangered Species Act and are federally protected. CPW said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating her death, and the final determination on the cause of death will be made once a necropsy and investigation have been completed.

A male wolf brought to Colorado from Canada died earlier this month in Wyoming. Six wolves have died since the state first began reintroducing gray wolves in 2023. 

Authorities said the number of wolves in the area is still within expected levels.

"Wolf survival in Colorado is within normal margins for a wolf population in the Rocky Mountains. Any reintroduction effort includes eventual mortality levels, and these were incorporated into the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. Mortality is a factor that plays a role in all natural populations. The average lifespan of a gray wolf in the Rocky Mountains is generally 3-4 years," said CPW.