Colville Tribes To Donate Up To 15 Wolves For Colorado Reintro

Colorado wildlife officials say they’ve reached an agreement with the Colville Tribes of Northcentral Washington to acquire up to 15 wolves next winter for the Centennial State’s voter-mandated reintroduction effort.

The animals will be captured on the tribes’ sprawling reservation and will join 10 Oregon wolves that were let loose in Colorado this past December.

“We are grateful to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation for working with our agency on this critical next step in reintroducing gray wolves in the state,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis said in a press release. “This agreement helps CPW to continue to meet our unanimously adopted Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan goal of translocating 10-15 gray wolves per capture season for a total of 30-50 wolves.”

The tribes manage wolves on the reservation and have held hunting seasons for them over the years. The species is federally delisted in this part of Washington.

“The Colville people strongly believe in preserving our environment, including its fish and animals. We are thrilled that our restoration efforts on our own lands have progressed far enough that we can share some of these magnificent creatures with the citizens of Colorado,” said Jarred-Michael Erickson, Colville Tribes chair, in the release.