A wolf found dead in Grand County died fighting another wolf, according to a report News

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has released a report on the autopsy of a wolf found dead in Grand County on September 10th.

““On September 10, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service became aware of a deceased gray wolf in Grand County, Colorado,” the USFWS said in a statement Thursday.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in September that they received a “mortality signal” from the wolf's collar on Sept. 9 and confirmed it on Sept. 10.

The wolf, known as 2307-OR, was a male that was part of a group of five wolves from Wallowa County, Oregon. Two of these five became a pair and gave birth to four puppies that spring.

Regarding the Grand County wolf, “necropsy results indicate that the wolf died from injuries resulting from a fight likely involving another wolf. The investigation revealed trauma typical of wounds inflicted by wolves and other canids, and preliminary analysis of hair samples collected from the scene further supported the involvement of another wolf. Although the wolf had an old, healed gunshot wound to its hind leg, it was in good nutritional condition at the time of death.

The Grand County wolf was the third of 10 wolves released in Grand and Summit counties last December. This includes the male of a mating pair who was captured along with the rest of the Copper Creek pack, but was in poor health due to injuries unrelated to the capture and died a few days later. An autopsy is also planned for this wolf.

The first of the 10 wolf deaths was reported April 18 in Larimer County. This wolf likely died in a mountain lion attack, according to a necropsy conducted by USFWS.

There are currently seven wolves left in the state out of the original 10 from Oregon, as well as at least four cubs from the mating pair. Two other wolves have lived in Jackson County for several years and migrated to the county from Wyoming.

Wolves have killed dozens of livestock in Colorado in recent years. Those numbers increased this year with the release of Oregon wolves, which came from packs that had killed livestock in the past. This is despite the fact that the Colorado Wolf Plan states that Colorado would not introduce wolves with such a history.

The wolf release was botched by communication errors by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the governor's office, which failed to inform local government officials and ranchers that wolves were being released in their counties.

This has led to a deterioration in relations between CPW and ranchers, elected officials and a variety of ranchers and county organizations, including Colorado Counties Inc., which have asked the agency to stop the next release of wolves to be moved from there to Colorado , to postpone British Columbia until the state better resolves wolf-livestock conflicts.

Next week, Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers, will present a petition to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission calling for a delay in introducing the next group of wolves. This petition came from 26 organizations, mainly livestock farmers.