DENVER — A reintroduced gray wolf has died in northwest Colorado — the second in about a month for the King Mountain Pack.
CPW identified the wolf as the maternal member of that pack. The agency received a mortality signal from her collar on Wednesday.
"Colorado Parks and Wildlife is leading the mortality investigation in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," CPW's statement reads. "A final determination of the cause of death will not be made until the investigation is completed, including the necropsy, a foundational component of the overall investigation process. No additional details are available at this time."
The announcement of this wolf's death came about a month after CPW said the adult male wolf in the pack had died during an operation to fit the animals with new GPS collars.
Both of those wolves were reintroduced in Colorado in December 2023. They were translocated from Oregon. Denver7 has asked CPW about the possible impacts to the King Mountain Pack with both of these adults gone. We'll update this story when we hear back. The pair had pups last spring, which were captured on trail cams.
As of Saturday, four wolves of the original 10 brought from Oregon have survived.
CPW says wild wolves live to an average of 3.5 to 4 years without human exploitation such as hunting and trapping.
Hunting wolves in Colorado is currently illegal.
Denver7 has been following Colorado's wolf reintroduction program since the very beginning, and you can explore all of that reporting in the timeline below, which starts with our most recent story.
Denver7 in-depth wolf coverage
The below list outlines an overview of the known wolf population in Colorado:
- Four wolves surviving from the original 10 that were released in December 2023 (one died of a likely mountain lion attack, a second died from injuries sustained prior to his capture as part of the Copper Creek Pack relocation effort, a third wolf became sickly and died, a fourth died in Wyoming, a fifth died during a re-collaring operation in February 2026, and a sixth died in northwest Colorado the following month)
- Three wolves surviving of the five wolf pups born in the spring of 2024 (one male was killed by CPW after multiple depredations in Pitkin County and a second male was shot for the same reasons in September 2025)
- Eight wolves surviving from the 15 that were released in January 2025 (one was shot and killed by Wildlife Services in Wyoming, a second died of unknown causes in Wyoming, a third died in Rocky Mountain National Park, a fourth died in northwest Colorado and the fifth died in northwest Colorado after it was likely hit by a car, a sixth died in southwestern Colorado, and a seventh died in northwest Colorado)
- Unknown number of pups born in four packs in 2025
- Two uncollared wolves that moved south from Wyoming several years ago and have been in and out of the area. It is not clear if they are alive or still in the state.
- One uncollared wolf that was last known to be in northwest Moffat County in mid-February 2025. It is not clear if it is alive or still in the state.
- Possible, but unconfirmed, wolf in the Browns Park area as of February 2025. It is not clear if it is alive or still in the state.