Wildlife Wednesday -- WolF Reintroduction

By Andy Ames

On Monday, December 18th, 5 Grey Wolves from Oregon were released in Grand County as part of Colorado’s Grey wolf reintroduction program. How does Colorado’s effort compare to the previous reintroductions? Back in 1995 the US Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced Grey Wolves brought from Canada to Yellowstone National Park and remote areas of Idaho. In Yellowstone, the USFWS used what is called a “soft release”. That is they held wolves in one acre pens for several weeks to allow them to adjust to their new surroundings. Twice a week they were given food — elk, deer, moose, or bison that were found dead in the park. These wolves (14 in 1995 and 17 in 1996) came from different packs so were also allowed to bond with their new neighbors. Some even mated in this captive situation. Once released, these wolves tended to stay near the pens for a week or two before going off to explore their new surroundings. Eventually, many ended up returning and establishing territories within a few miles of their release sites. (There are always exceptions, however. One pair took off immediately, traveling nearly 30 miles per day before eventually splitting up). Idaho wolves, however, were given a “hard release”, meaning they were let out of their crates and were on their own. These wolves immediately moved a short distance, then much like the Yellowstone wolves, stayed in one area for a couple of weeks before going off to explore. Idaho wolves, however, strayed much further and by summer many were over 50 miles from their release sites.

In the end, both models proved successful beyond expectations. USFWS anticipated continuing releases for up to 5 years but ended up needing only 2. Idaho went from a wolf population of 42 in 1996 to 192 just 2 years later. Yellowstone went from 40 to 177 in that same time period.

Here in Colorado, CPW opted for the “hard release” model. It is much less expensive, requires less manpower, and is safer for the animals involved (many of the Yellowstone wolves damaged their teeth from chewing on the the fencing). These new Colorado residents were released just over The Divide in Grand County. Will it be long before the wolf returns to the Estes Valley?

Photo screenshot from CPW video.