Colorado Parks and Wildlife Suspends Lethal Wolf Removal Operation After 30-Day Search

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has suspended its effort to lethally remove an uncollared wolf in Rio Blanco County following a 30-day operation that yielded no result, the agency announced this week.

CPW deployed drones and thermal imaging technology across the search area between January 24 and February 22, but the wolf was never located. Officials cited bare ground conditions and difficult terrain as the primary factors behind the decision to stand down.

“With no snow on the ground in the area and challenging terrain, we are choosing to suspend this effort.” – CPW Director Laura Clellan

The uncollared wolf had met CPW’s threshold for chronic depredation, a designation that triggered the removal effort in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in accordance with the USFWS 10(j) rule, which governs management of experimental wolf populations.

Depredations in the area date to July 2025. Since then, CPW has worked alongside local livestock producers to deploy a suite of nonlethal deterrents, including increased human presence from CPW wildlife damage specialists, range riders, and herders; night-penning of livestock near producer residences with heightened monitoring; opportunistic hazing using air horns, fox lights, and propane cannons; and the addition of guardian dogs.

“We are grateful to the producers who have been working with us at every step since depredations began in the area in July of 2025 and who have deployed multiple forms of nonlethal conflict mitigation techniques.” – CPW Director Laura Clellan

CPW emphasized that all wolf management decisions are evaluated individually, weighing site-specific circumstances against the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan and applicable law. The suspension does not preclude future action if depredation activity continues.

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