Happy news arrived from Colorado this week as Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced that two wolves, John M2101 and Jane F1084, had been spotted with multiple pups (幼崽). The gray wolves and their pups were first sighted by a wildlife biologist and CPW district wildlife manager. The good news follows the decision to reintroduce gray wolves to the state just last year.
To gain further confirmation, CPW staff conducted three separate observations to see what was happening at the den (窝) from a safe distance. This confirmed the presence of the collared wolves John and Jane, who were joined by three pups. The true group size remains to be seen, however, as it's possible there may be more that have not yet been spotted. Gray wolf dens usually contain around four to six pups.
"Colorado is now home to our first wolf den since the 1940s," said Governor Jared Polis in a statement. "We welcome this historic den and the new wolf family to Colorado. With voter passage last year of the project to require reintroduction of the wolf by the end of 2023, these pups will have plenty of potential mates when they grow up to start their own families."
"It's incredible that these two adult animals have traveled the distance and overcome the challenges they have to get here, and to now have pups in Colorado," said Kris Middledorf, area wildlife manager for CPW. "Our first duty is to ensure that they have the chance to boom, so even as we have exciting news, we want to remind everyone that these animals remain endangered in Colorado."
The status of gray wolves is backed up by law in the western state, where killing an endangered species can result in the removal of hunting privileges, a fine of $100, 000, and even jail time. It's also prohibited to hunt wildlife in the state— but with acute hearing and excellent eyesight, leaving these smart animals should be easy enough if you don't go looking for them.