A wolf that died after it was captured by wildlife officials as part of a pack had been shot, and now federal authorities are looking for the culprit.
The wolf was one of the original 10 wolves reintroduced to Colorado and the adult male of the Copper Creek pack, which was captured Aug. 30 after repeatedly feeding on livestock in Grand County.
At the time, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the wolf died four days after its capture and had “deep puncture wounds” on its hind leg that were unrelated to the capture. The wolf’s body weight was almost 30% lower than it was when it was released in December, when it weighed 104 pounds, CPW said, and it died despite receiving antibiotics for an infection.
Now, a necropsy has determined the wolf died of a gunshot wound, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday. The federal agency said it was seeking information “regarding the illegal killing of a gray wolf in Grand County” and offering a reward.
“A necropsy revealed that a gunshot wound initiated the poor condition of the wolf and ultimately led to the cause of death,” federal officials said.
Gray wolves in Colorado are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, which means it’s illegal to harass, harm, or kill them.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife urged anyone with information regarding the death of this wolf to contact the wildlife crime hotline at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (397-8477) or at [email protected], or www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips.
The wolf was captured along with an adult female and four pups. The female and pups have been held in a sanctuary and state wildlife officials plan to release them back to the wild this winter.
The two adult wolves in the pack were brought to Colorado from Oregon a year ago, part of a voter-passed wolf reintroduction plan.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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