Colorado Gray Wolf Population Reaches 32 Wolves with Record-High Pup Recruitment

Colorado Parks and Wildlife released its Gray Wolf Annual Report for biological year 2025–2026, confirming a minimum of 32 gray wolves in Colorado — 24 in established packs (10 adults and 14 pups) plus 8 dispersing adults. Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell characterized pup recruitment as 'very high,' a sign of healthy pack dynamics and successful breeding across multiple pack territories in the northern and western portions of the state. The program recorded 10 adult mortalities during the period, with 3 still under investigation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Colorado's reintroduction began in December 2023 — the first wolf reintroduction in the state in 70 years — and has grown to represent a significant contribution to gray wolf recovery in the southern Rocky Mountains, connecting populations in Wyoming and Idaho with habitat south of the Colorado River.