Another of Colorado’s reintroduced gray wolves has met a grim fate after crossing into Wyoming…where the rules for wolves change fast. According to Aspen Times, female wolf 2304, brought from Oregon in December 2023, was confirmed dead in late July, making her the third Colorado wolf to die north of the border. In Colorado, wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, but once they step into most of Wyoming, those protections vanish, and wolves can be killed without a license across about 85% of the state. Details of her death aren’t being shared—Wyoming law keeps hunters’ identities confidential—but this loss adds to a troubling tally: nine of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves are now gone, with causes ranging from natural conflicts to gunshots, traps, and the hazards of wandering into less friendly territory.
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