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The reintroduced Colorado wolf found dead last month in Larimer County likely died after being attacked by a mountain lion, according to a necropsy conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The gray wolf was one of 10 released in December in Colorado’s central mountains as part of a voter-mandated reintroduction effort. The wolf is the first of the group to die, bringing the state’s known population of wolves to 11 — including two wolves remaining from a pack established earlier from wolves that had migrated from Wyoming.
The wolf was found dead on April 18 and collected by the Fish and Wildlife Service. A necropsy completed by the federal agency found the wolf died as a result of trauma from predation.
“Although not definitive, the puncture wounds in the skull are consistent with those typically inflicted by a mountain lion,” spokesman Joe Szuszwalak said Tuesday in an email.
The reintroduced wolves spread widely across the state from their release sites in Grand and Summit counties. In April, the wolves trod areas near the Wyoming border, Interstate 70 near Vail, in Larimer County and in Moffat County, according to a map released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
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