Could Oregon Send Wolves to Colorado?
By Joe Hathaway on Friday, July 14th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
NORTHEAST OREGON — Oregon wolves may soon be on their way to Colorado.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to reintroduce wolves to the Centennial State at the end of this year after a state law was passed in 2020. They plan to reintroduce at least 15 to 20 wolves each year.
But to meet the deadline, Colorado needs wolves.
States with wolves, including Idaho, Washington, Montana and Oregon are now being asked by Colorado to possibly relocate some of its wolves.
So far, no plans have been formalized with any state and no agreements have been made.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says Colorado did send a request and that discussions are underway for the possibility to move some of Oregon’s wolves.
ODFW says no commitment has been made.
At least 178 wolves were documented in Oregon by the state in 2022, with the majority living in northeast Oregon.
Wolves are protected as a special status game mammal in Oregon. They were delisted from Oregon’s Endangered Species List in 2015, but wolves are not allowed to be hunted.
