Gray wolf (aka: Canis lupus)
Status: Colorado Endangered Species
Fun Fact: Wolves are caring, playful, and intelligent creatures that are devoted to their family (pack)
Wolves once roamed the snow-capped peaks and rim rock canyons of the West, but their howl was missing from Western Colorado for 75 years. On November 3, 2020, Coloradans voted yes to Colorado Proposition 114, the Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative. And at the end of last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reintroduced wolves to the state!
Check out the final Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. Colorado Parks and Wildlife have also been sharing where our collared gray wolves have visited. Check out the activity map here!
Partner
A huge thank you to our partner:
Here are some things you can do to demystify wolves:
Read:
For Adults:
- Working Circle’s Wolf Biology and Behavior informational webpage
- “Wolf restoration in Colorado shows how humans are rethinking their relationships with wild animals,” by Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, March 4, 2023
- Rocky Mountain Wolf Project’s Wolves in the West ebook
- Rocky Mountain Wolf Project’s A Grand Opportunity ebook
For Kids:
- National Geographic Kids – Gray Wolf webpage
Do:
For Adults:
Coming Soon
For Kids:
- Captain Planet Foundation’s Quest for Wolf Coexistence (grades 8-12)
- Color our gray wolf coloring page and send to Chris
Listen and Watch:
For Adults:
- Colorado Howl with Karin Vardaman Podcast (4 minutes)
- Wolves of Colorado Speaker Panel (63 minutes) with wolf experts John Murtaugh (Rockies and Plains Representative with Defenders of Wildlife) and Karin Vardaman (founder of Working Circle):
- Canis Lupus (18 minutes):
For Kids:
- Meet the Animals – Gray Wolf (3 minutes)
- Meet the Real Wolf (3 minutes)