Colorado's reintroduced wolves: the releases, livestock attacks and the One Ear pack
Active · last development Sep 30, 2026: “Colorado to pull back on killing wolves involved in livestock attacks as survival concerns rise”
What this arc covers
The wolves Colorado reintroduced after voters approved the plan: the state's plan to release 50 gray wolves over five years, the court fight that let the releases go ahead, the first releases in December 2023, the first livestock killed and the first pups born, the relocation of the Copper Creek pack after repeated attacks, the deaths of wolves shot or killed after straying into Wyoming, the state's killing of members of the One Ear pack, a new pack in Eagle County, the charges against a hunter who killed a wolf, the 2025 proposal by state lawmakers to pause the reintroduction during a budget shortfall, and what Trump's 2026 order to review delisting gray wolves means for the program.
Earliest story we hold Dec 9, 2022 · 29 stories · 79 independent sources (counted once each) · 1391 days
Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning
Sep 30– Oct 12026Colorado to pull back on killing wolves involved in livestock attacks as survival concerns rise9 articles · 9 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 1 right
Sep 9– 102026What Trump’s order to delist gray wolves means for Colorado’s reintroduction6 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 0 right
Sep 8– 142026Colorado Parks and Wildlife kills second yearling from One Ear Pack as livestock attacks continue in Grand County18 articles · 10 independent sources1 left, 5 center, 0 right
Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below
- Dec 12 – 16, 2023Federal judge allows wolf reintroduction in Colorado to proceed31 articles · 20 independent sources
- Dec 12, 2023Colorado cattle industry sues over wolf reintroduction on the cusp of the animals’ release
- Dec 14, 2023Judge denies cattle industry's request to temporarily halt wolf reintroduction in Colorado
- Dec 19 – 20, 2023Colorado releases first 5 wolves as controversial reintroduction gets underway44 articles · 35 independent sources
- Apr 3 – 4, 2024Wolf kills calf in Colorado, the first confirmed kill after reintroduction14 articles · 14 independent sources
- Sep 10, 2024Wolf pack blamed in Colorado livestock attacks is captured and will be relocated15 articles · 15 independent sources
- Jul 22 – 24, 2026Colorado’s newest wolf pack has established in Eagle County19 articles · 10 independent sources
Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side
Dec 2022Sep 2023Jun 2024Mar 2025Dec 2025Sep 2026
LeftCenterRight
Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.
Every week as a table
| Week of | Left | Center | Right | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5, 2022 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Dec 12, 2022 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| May 1, 2023 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Dec 11, 2023 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 31 |
| Dec 18, 2023 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 43 |
| Jan 15, 2024 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Jan 22, 2024 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Apr 1, 2024 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 |
| Apr 8, 2024 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Apr 15, 2024 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Apr 22, 2024 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Jun 17, 2024 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Aug 26, 2024 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Sep 9, 2024 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| Dec 30, 2024 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Feb 17, 2025 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| May 12, 2025 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Aug 4, 2025 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Jul 13, 2026 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 19 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Aug 31, 2026 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.
9% left · 80% center · 11% right of 79 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 29 stories.
Every storyoldest first
December 2022
Dec 9– 1350 northern gray wolves to be released in Colorado over 5 years, according to draft plan8 articles · 7 independent sources1 left, 5 center, 0 rightMay 2023
May 4Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously approves dogged plan to reintroduce wolves6 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 5 center, 0 rightDecember 2023
Dec 12– 16Federal judge allows wolf reintroduction in Colorado to proceed31 articles · 20 independent sources1 left, 9 center, 2 right- Dec 19– 20Colorado releases first 5 wolves as controversial reintroduction gets underway44 articles · 35 independent sources5 left, 12 center, 5 right
January 2024
Jan 20Colorado Parks and Wildlife announces plans to release up to 15 more wolves5 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 0 right- Jan 25New map shows where Colorado’s wolves have been6 articles · 6 independent sources1 left, 3 center, 0 right
April 2024
Apr 3– 4Wolf kills calf in Colorado, the first confirmed kill after reintroduction14 articles · 14 independent sources2 left, 4 center, 0 right- Apr 9Parks and Wildlife confirms second livestock depredation by wolves occured in Jackson County6 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 4 center, 0 right
- Apr 18– 19Four more cattle killed by wolves in Grand County5 articles · 5 independent sources1 left, 3 center, 0 right
- Apr 24Federal officials confirm death of 1 reintroduced wolf in northern Colorado5 articles · 5 independent sources1 left, 2 center, 0 right
June 2024
Jun 21First wolf pup born from reintroduced wolves confirmed in Colorado8 articles · 8 independent sources2 left, 3 center, 0 rightAugust 2024
Aug 28Colorado relocating Copper Creek wolf pack following numerous depredations5 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 0 right- Aug 28Wolf pack that attacked Colorado livestock to be relocated as reintroduction program stumbles7 articles · 7 independent sources1 left, 3 center, 0 right
September 2024
Sep 10Wolf pack blamed in Colorado livestock attacks is captured and will be relocated15 articles · 15 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 1 rightJanuary 2025
Jan 3Colorado wolf died from a gunshot, spurring a federal investigation5 articles · 5 independent sources1 left, 0 center, 2 rightFebruary 2025
Feb 18Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms an unknown, uncollared wolf was responsible for cow death in northwest Colorado7 articles · 7 independent sources0 left, 5 center, 0 rightMarch 2025
Mar 20Federal agency kills Colorado wolf connected to sheep deaths in Wyoming9 articles · 9 independent sources1 left, 4 center, 0 rightMay 2025
May 16Female wolf dies in northwest Colorado, marking fourth death this year7 articles · 7 independent sources1 left, 2 center, 0 rightAugust 2025
Aug 6Another of Colorado’s wolves has died after traveling into Wyoming5 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 1 right- Aug 19Colorado lawmakers propose pausing funding for wolf reintroduction amid state budget crisis7 articles · 7 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 0 right
July 2026
Jul 13– 15What Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s new report reveals about its lengthy effort to kill wolf responsible for attacks on 22 sheep8 articles · 8 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 1 right- Jul 22– 24Colorado’s newest wolf pack has established in Eagle County19 articles · 10 independent sources1 left, 4 center, 1 right
- Jul 27– 28Uncollared wolf dies in northwest Colorado, marking fifth death this year6 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 0 right
August 2026
Aug 5Colorado Parks and Wildlife kills member of One Ear wolf pack after attacks on cattle in Grand, Jackson counties6 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 0 right- Aug 10– 12A licensed hunter killed a Colorado wolf in January8 articles · 8 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 0 right
September 2026
Sep 2– 3Colorado Parks and Wildlife defends charges against hunter who killed wolf in January, amid concerns of leniency6 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 0 right- Sep 8– 14Colorado Parks and Wildlife kills second yearling from One Ear Pack as livestock attacks continue in Grand County18 articles · 10 independent sources1 left, 5 center, 0 right
- Sep 9– 10What Trump’s order to delist gray wolves means for Colorado’s reintroduction6 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 1 center, 0 right
- Sep 30– Oct 1Colorado to pull back on killing wolves involved in livestock attacks as survival concerns rise9 articles · 9 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 1 right