Colorado releases final reports on gray wolf lethal removals in September 2026.

11/2/2026

Luke Perkins
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-392-5789 / l[email protected]

Colorado releases final reports on gray wolf lethal removals in September 2026.

Nov. 2, 2026

DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has completed and published final reports on the three lethal removal efforts completed on September 7 and 9, 2026. These final reports can be found on the agency’s website.

These removal efforts were conducted in line with CPW’s statutory and regulatory authority and were completed prior to the temporary suspension of CPW’s chronic depredation directive on September 30. This temporary suspension means CPW will evaluate any future removals of wolves on a case-by-case basis using a very conservative approach to address the concern that population growth may not occur this biological year, which ends March 31, 2027.

“CPW continues to work diligently to achieve the dual goals of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan: recovering and maintaining a viable, self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado, while concurrently working to minimize wolf-related conflicts,” said CPW Director Laura Clellan. “The recent suspension of our administrative directive concerning chronic depredation does not remove our obligations to assist producers experiencing repeated depredation nor our commitment to the wolf restoration plan as well as the stakeholding that went into its creation.”

“The wolf management plan was developed in cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders and calls for adaptive management of our growing wolf population in Colorado,” Director Clellan said. “Going forward, we will continue to prioritize non-lethal conflict minimization and explore all such tools and techniques in our support of both producers and wolves, with lethal removal remaining an option if deemed absolutely necessary.”

When CPW makes the decision to lethally remove any wolf, it does so in consultation with USFWS and in accordance with applicable legal requirements, including the USFWS 10(j) rule. The short and long-term impacts of each removal on restoration efforts are also considered.

“Each decision to lethally remove a wolf is painstakingly evaluated and considered, and this option is only pursued when all other viable options have been exhausted,” Director Clellan said. “Our staff continues to work in partnership with producers to deploy all reasonable non-lethal tools and techniques. CPW is actively evaluating lessons learned this year as it works to improve its conflict minimization efforts. The agency will revisit its chronic depredation directive and the conditions under which removals may take place. Those revisions will be in place by the start of the next wolf biological year on April 1, 2027.”

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