Colorado Parks and Wildlife says they’re working to capture another Copper Creek wolf

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - On Monday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said they are working to capture another wolf believed to be from the Copper Creek wolf pack.

On Sept. 9, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said six wolves from the Copper Creek Pack were captured, with the help of federal partners. After the operation, CPW officials placed game cameras in the area to make sure no other pups were still in the wild.

CPW said they checked the game cameras on Sept. 20, learning one more uncollared gray wolf pup was still in the area.

CPW said they began operations to capture the pup after learning it was still in the wild. They said they want to reunite it with the rest of its pack and prepare it for its winter release.

On Sept. 9, an adult female, an adult male and four pups were transported to a new location for evaluation. They were all captured between Aug. 24 and Sept. 5.

The adult male was found in poor condition when he was captured. CPW said he had injuries to his back right leg, and his body weight was around 30 percent lower than when he was released.

Four days later, they received a mortality symbol from his collar, confirming he had died on Sept. 3. CPW said they do not believe the wolf would have survived much longer in the wild.

The four pups seemed to be underweight but otherwise healthy, said CPW.

CPW said they conducted additional work to confirm all of the Copper Creek wolf pack was captured, and at the time, they were confident they had caught them all.

They said they do not plan to relocate wolves with depredation histories back into the wild in Colorado. CPW said the pups - primarily dependent on their parents for food - were not involved in any livestock depredation incidents.

CPW said they were advancing plans to re-release the pups and mother back into the wild as a pack. In the meantime, they plan to continue monitoring their health.

"We are still in the early stages of the restoration plan. Our legal obligation to Colorado voters is to continue working towards a sustainable population. We also must continue our efforts to minimize losses to our producers and to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of the wolves as we work towards a viable gray wolf population," said CPW Director Jeff Davis.

for previous information about the Copper Creek Wolf Pack's relocation.