Wolf 'spending time' in Rocky Mountain National Park, pack blamed for killings to be moved

Another month has zipped by, and once again, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has provided residents of the Centennial State with an update on local wolf movement.

While wolves remain mostly in the same areas compared to last month – largely in Routt, Jackson, Grand, Larimer, and Summit counties – one notable update was related to the most popular outdoor recreation destination in the state – Rocky Mountain National Park.

According to wildlife officials, one of the nine reintroduced wolves that's still alive of the original 10 spent some time within the boundaries of this iconic Front Range attraction. Given that Rocky Mountain National Park is federally managed land, the management authority over gray wolves in this part of the state falls on the National Park Service, which has been working closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife as wolf movement is monitored.

Despite the heavy visitation in the Rocky Mountain National Park area, the presence of a wolf is not believed to be a threat to humans, as wolves have a strong tendency to avoid civilization.

Meanwhile, authorities also noted that wolves have yet to cross I-70 to the south, despite being found in areas of Summit and Eagle counties – even being captured on a camera near this interstate in June.

More notable wolf news from the past month is related to the decision to relocate the Copper Creek wolf pack, which consists of a mating pair and at least three wolf pups that were spotted this spring, according to reporting from Denver Gazette's Marianne Goodland. The mating pair was brought to Colorado from Oregon and released in December, since blamed for the deaths of at least nine sheep and seven head of cattle. The location where these wolves will be moved to is being kept a secret for the safety of the pack.

Additionally, Goodland reports that another batch of wolves is set to be released into the same general 'northern zone' area where wolves are being taken out of, which includes Grand and Summit counties. Ranchers in the area who continue to struggle to find ways to protect their cattle from the predator species 'greeted this news with dismay.'

The most up-to-date count indicates that in addition to the nine wolves that were reintroduced and the three pups, two wolves that naturally migrated into the state remain alive. This would put the total number of wolves in Colorado at 14.

Find additional wolf updates here.