Wolf spotted in Glade Park, Unaweep Canyon

GLADE PARK, Colo. (KREX) — Gray wolves roamed in the shadows of Colorado until roughly the mid 1940s. Now, after almost 80 years, wolves are back due to CPW’s three-to-five-year plan.

In mid-January, CPW released 15 more wolves in both Eagle and Pitkin Counties, meaning a total of 29 translocated wolves now roam Colorado.

Jeremy Carns is a fifth-generation Glade Park rancher.

He tells WesternSlopeNow, “it was actually spotted over by the Glade Park store and it went right on down into Unaweep and was spotted in Unaweep Canyon.”

Public Information Supervisor Travis Duncan with CPW confirms a three-year-old female collared wolf entered the western portion of Mesa County.

Duncan adds, “this was to be expected and it’s important to remember wolves can and do move substantial distances.”

Carns tells WesternSlopeNow neighbors in close proximity were notified by a Department of Wildlife officer.

Carns says it’s easy to tell a coyote and a wolf apart, mainly due to the size difference. He says he and others have seen wolves in our backyard going back to even decades ago.

Colorado State University Extension claims wolves from Wyoming have traveled down to Moffat County in 2020, before the first round of reintroduction.

CPW’s Northwest Region PIO Rachael Gonzales tells WesternSlopeNow, “it’s hard to say what the animal will do next. This wolf is in exploratory mode, not defending a territory. As Colorado’s wolf population increases and packs form, their movements are more likely to become predictable.”

Factors such as food availability also direct where a wolf goes – Gonzales states wolves pray on both small and large game.

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