Colorado shifts wolf management policy amid livestock conflict

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced a more conservative approach to euthanizing gray wolves involved in repeated livestock attacks. The agency is reevaluating its management strategy due to concerns regarding the survival of the state’s nascent wolf population, citing potential threats from disease, mortality rates, and uncertainty surrounding future releases.

As of late September, Colorado’s gray wolf population is estimated at 45 individuals, including 20 pups. While pup survival rates were high last year at 82%, the agency expects declines over the winter. Additionally, adult wolf survival rates between April 2025 and May 2026 were recorded at 61%, which is below the typical 75% survival rate for the species.

Under previous guidelines, wolves could be killed if they were linked to three livestock attacks within a 30-day period, provided producers had attempted non-lethal mitigation. This shift in Colorado mirrors different management styles across the American West; states like Montana and Idaho allow more flexible hunting and euthanization, while Washington and Oregon utilize specific attack thresholds and non-lethal tool requirements similar to Colorado’s previous model.