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WALDEN, Colo. (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife captured and collared two wolves in North Park near the Wyoming border.

According to CPW, the two wolves were GPS collared on Thursday. The male wolf, identified as 2101, was a recapture as he was initially collared two years ago, and the other male wolf, identified as 2301, was a pup born in 2021 and is presumably the son of the other wolf.

  • Collared wolves
    CPW placed GPS collars on two wolves in North Park on Feb. 2. The male wolf has a gray coat and is in the foreground on the right. Male wolf 2301 has a black coat and is in the background on the left. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
  • Collared wolves 2
    CPW placed GPS collars on two wolves in North Park on Feb. 2. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

“Both animals were caught together in an area of North Park where we have been receiving reports from the public in the past couple of weeks,” CPW Species Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell said.

The male wolf’s original collar was damaged and replaced with a new one. According to Odell, wolves are tough on collars and CPW expects them to fail over time.

“Refitting 2101 and having a second GPS collar will allow our biologists and wildlife managers to continue learning about the behavior of these wolves,” said CPW Acting Director Heather Disney Dugan. 

The wolves were safely tranquilized from a helicopter and fitted for the collars by the field staff.

CPW said the collars are used for learning valuable information on the wolves, but they only provide a snapshot and not real-time information.

If you spot a wolf, you are encouraged to use the wolf sighting form to alert CPW staff.

These wolves naturally migrated to the state and are not a result of the wolf reintroduction efforts, according to CPW.