A Colorado wolf that died this spring in the northwest corner of the state likely was struck by a car, state officials announced Tuesday.
An investigation by found that the wolf “died from blunt force trauma sustained during a suspected vehicle collision,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release. Parks and Wildlife received a mortality alert from the wolf’s collar May 31.
The male wolf, identified by the number 2507, was one of 15 captured in Canada and released in Colorado in January as part of the state’s voter-mandated reintroduction program.
Five of the 15 wolves brought to the state in January have died, including two that were shot in Wyoming.
Twenty-one collared wolves currently roam Colorado, and at least 10 pups were born this summer in the state’s four packs.
