Operation underway to capture B.C. wolves for relocation in Colorado

This July 16, 2004, photo shows a grey wolf at the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minn. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Dawn Villella

DENVER — DENVER — A wildlife team from the United States has begun an operation to capture grey wolves in British Columbia for release in Colorado.

The operation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife comes after an agreement with the B.C. government to "translocate" up to 15 wolves a year over the next three to five years.

Colorado Parks says in a statement that the capture operation follows work to adopt measures that will minimize conflict between wolves and livestock.

It says the operation is expected to last up to two weeks, with the goal to "recover and maintain a viable, self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado."

The state says the B.C. wolves will be tested and treated for disease before they are relocated, and collars will be placed on the animals to monitor their behaviours.

Colorado voters approved a ballot initiative in 2020 to reintroduce the animals as a way of restoring ecological balance.

The state began the process by bringing five wolves from Oregon in late 2023.

Eric Odell, Colorado's wolf program manager, says in a news release issued Saturday that they were "excited to be working with B.C. to bring together our combined experience and expertise while ensuring the safety of animals and staff."

“This new source population of grey wolves will provide additional genetic diversity to Colorado’s wolf population,” he says.

The state says the B.C. wolves will come from areas where no livestock is present, "so there are no concerns about reintroducing wolves that are from packs that are involved in situations of repeated livestock depredations."

The B.C. government says grey wolves are not an endangered or threatened species in the province, with an estimated population of 8,500.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2025.

The Canadian Press