Have humans killed at least 4 of the wolves restored to Colorado?

Coloradosun · Apr 13, 2026 · 304 words · By Cassis Tingley

Wildlife Management Conflicts Endangered Species Conservation

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What to know about Wildlife Management Conflicts

At least five of the 25 gray wolves reintroduced to Colorado through a plan approved by Colorado voters in 2020 have been killed by humans since 2024.

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 0

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

At least five of the 25 gray wolves reintroduced to Colorado through a plan approved by Colorado voters in 2020 have been killed by humans since 2024.

Why it matters

Two of the wolves, numbers 2305 and 2309, were part of the initial transfer of 10 wolves from Oregon in 2023.

Common ground

The other three, numbers 2505, 2512, and 2507, were brought from Canada in 2025.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Wildlife Management Conflicts story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that One wolf died after getting caught in a legal foot-trap; one was hit by a vehicle; one died of 'capture-related' complications; one was illegally shot; and one was killed by Wyoming state officials after it crossed into the state and killed five sheep there?
How does this story connect Wildlife Management Conflicts with Endangered Species Conservation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/13/humans-killed-5-colorado-wolves/

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3

verified Verified 1

cancel Disputed 1

check_circle Corroborated 1

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “One wolf died after getting caught in a legal foot-trap; one was hit by a vehicle; one died of 'capture-related' complications; one was illegally shot; and one was killed by Wyoming state officials after it crossed into the state and killed five sheep there.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of general definitions of the number 5, GTA V mods, and general information about Wyoming; it contains no specific data on wolf deaths by foot-trap, vehicle, or illegal shooting.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are 23 counties in the U.S. state of Wyoming. There were originally five counties in the Wyoming Territory: Laramie and Carter, established in 1867; Carbon and Albany established in 1868; and Ui…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Wyoming

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wyoming ( wy-OH-ming) is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wyoming was an American wooden six-masted schooner built and completed in 1909 by the Percy & Small Shipyard in Bath, Maine. With a length of 450 ft (140 m) from jib-boom tip to spanker boom tip, Wyom…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_(schooner)

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “The other three, numbers 2505, 2512, and 2507, were brought from Canada in 2025.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about wolves, hockey, and Nova episodes; none of the sources mention wolves 2505, 2512, or 2507 or transfers from Canada in 2025.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nova is an American science documentary television series produced by WGBH Boston for PBS. Many of the programs in this list were not originally produced for PBS, but were acquired from other sources …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nova_episodes

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+ 9 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Colorado Parks and Wildlife also fatally shot one male pup that was descended from the 2023 cohort after it attacked livestock in Pitkin County.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia confirms Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages wildlife, there is no specific evidence in the provided results regarding the shooting of a male pup from the 2023 cohort in Pitkin County.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the state parks system and the wildlife of the U.S. state of Colorado. Responsibilities include state parks, wildlife areas, and the Colorado Natural Areas Program.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Parks_and_Wildlife

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the state parks in the U.S. State of Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the state park system to accommodate both outdoor recreation and tourism. There are currently forty…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colorado_state_parks

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the 1940s, the gray wolf was nearly eradicated from the Southern Rockies. The species naturally expanded into habitats in Colorado they occupied prior to its near extirpation from the conterminous …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repopulation_of_wolves_in_Colo…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “Gray wolves are an endangered species in Colorado.”

VERIFIED

The CSMonitor source explicitly states that gray wolves are 'Listed as endangered in Colorado'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Listed as endangered in Colorado, for instance, the gray wolf loses that status once it crosses the northern border into Wyoming. Gray wolves are protected nationally under the federal Endangered Spec…
https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2023/1219/Gray-wolves-…

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web search NEUTRAL — (Learn more: Gray wolves taken off U.S. endangered species list in controversial move.) The Colorado reintroduction initiative was opposed by many in rural areas, including ranchers, who worry that wo…
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/colorado-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Are wolves endangered? The gray wolf in the contiguous 48 United States had long been on the federal government’s list of endangered species, which includes both threatened and endangered populations.
https://wolf.org/wolf-info/are-wolves-endangered/

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Claim 5: “Twelve of the 25 wolves reintroduced to the state have died.”

DISPUTED

Different sources provide conflicting numbers for the death toll of the 25 reintroduced wolves: one source states 11 have died, while another source states 13 have died.

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web search NEUTRAL — Wolves were reintroduced in the northern Rocky Mountains in the 1990s and since at least 2014, solitary wolves have entered Colorado. A resident group in northwestern Colorado was confirmed in early 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repopulation_of_wolves_in_Colo…

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web search NEUTRAL — This comes after an 11th gray wolf of the initial 25 brought to Colorado died, bringing the total number of collared wolves in the state to 19, after the May killing of one wolf born to the Copper Cre…
https://wolf.org/headlines/question-of-survival-11-of-25-col…

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web search NEUTRAL — The bloodshed from the state’s ongoing wolf reintroduction program cuts both ways, however. And considering the current survival rates of Colorado’s translocated wolves, it’s clear the predators are h…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/more-half-colorado-reint…

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Claim 6: “At least five of the 25 gray wolves reintroduced to Colorado through a plan approved by Colorado voters in 2020 have been killed by humans since 2024.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly state that at least five of the 25 reintroduced gray wolves in Colorado have been killed by humans since 2024.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Colorado Senate elections took place on November 5, 2024, with the primary elections being held on June 25, 2024. Voters in 18 out of the 35 districts of the state Senate elected their repres…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Colorado_Senate_election

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Colorado elections were held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 and the primary election took place on June 25, 2024. In addition to the U.S. presidential race, Colorado voters voted in the U.S. Ho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Colorado_elections

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 Colorado Avalanche season was the 46th season for the Avalanche as the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that joined the league in 1979, and their 29th playing season since the franch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_Colorado_Avalanche_sea…

+ 15 more evidence sources

info

Claim 7: “Two of the wolves, numbers 2305 and 2309, were part of the initial transfer of 10 wolves from Oregon in 2023.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions wolves 2305 and 2309 as part of the initial transfer from Oregon, but no other independent sources in the provided evidence confirm these specific ID numbers.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The list of lagerstätten which are sites that are characterized by exceptional preservation of fossil organisms, regularly preserving many well preserved animals, including soft tissue remains, which …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lagerstätten

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The list of Lagerstätten is a documentation of Lagerstätte fossils sites around the world, arranged by geologic age. These are characterized by exceptional preservation of fossil organisms, regularly …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lagerstätten

+ 9 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.