DENVER (KDVR) — On Wednesday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife stated that necropsy findings from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services indicate one wolf was killed by a mountain lion, while the second seems to have perished following injuries from a foothold trap.
The initial wolf, a female gray wolf found inRocky Mountain National Park on April 20th, was found to have died from injuries “apparently caused by a mountain lion attack.”
A female gray wolf, the second one, was discovered deceased on May 15 in northwestern Colorado. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service performed a post-mortem examination and concluded that it succumbed to “apparent secondary trauma caused by a legal foothold trap utilized for managing coyote populations.”
CPW also mentioned that wolf survival in Colorado falls within typical ranges for a population of wolves in the Rocky Mountains. They added that the average lifespan of a gray wolf is approximately three to four years. Both wolves, whose causes of death were revealed on Wednesday, were part of the January release of gray wolves brought from British Columbia, Canada.
In its release on Wednesday, CPW stated that Colorado law typically prohibits the use of foothold traps, but there is an exception allowing owners of property used for commercial livestock production, or their authorized representatives, to use the traps for a 30-day period under specific conditions.
CPW stated that the requirements were met in this instance, and the trapper, after locating the wolf, contacted CPW and set it free. The death signal from the wolf’s GPS collar was detected the following day.
“Since the trap was set legally, neither the USFWS nor CPW intends to pursue additional law enforcement measures,” CPW stated in its release on Wednesday.
The agency also stated that, until additional evaluation is completed, there is a state-wide halt on granting 30-day permits for capturing coyotes or other land animals using foothold traps, instant-kill body-gripping traps, or snares.
“While CPW will still acknowledge the exceptions to the general ban on these trap types, CPW warns landowners that federal and state law forbid capturing gray wolves unless explicitly allowed by the USFWS 10(j) rule and CPW guidelines,” the agency stated in its announcement.
The USFWS is also looking into the death of a male gray wolf that occurred on May 31, with no additional details provided about the inquiry.
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