(Cheyenne, WY) — Today, February 1st, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was notified that Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) captured and collared a gray wolf in Wyoming’s southern Platte Valley, near the Colorado border. The department was contacted about the cross-state incident after the wolf was collared and released. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is not assisting in any wolf reintroduction efforts for Colorado and had no role in today’s collaring events.
The incident occurred while a CPW team was attempting to capture a wolf in Colorado near the Wyoming state line. The wolf was initially targeted from a helicopter using an immobilization tool called a “net gun.” The animal was also shot with an immobilization dart. The drug did not immediately take effect, and the animal was able to run across the border into Wyoming. CPW pursued the wolf across the border, where it was subsequently captured, collared and released approximately one-third of a mile into Wyoming.
The Platte Valley is located in Wyoming’s predator zone. Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik has spoken with the Colorado Director about the incident.
Wyoming Game and Fish is not tracking or monitoring the collared wolf’s location. Single, roaming wolves in this area of Wyoming are not unusual. There is no evidence of an established population in the region, which is the southern border of Wyoming’s predator zone, where wolves can be taken without licenses and where there are no established seasons.