Necropsy report shows likely cause of death for wolf found dead in Larimer County
Colorado Parks and Wildlife/Courtesy photo
A wolf was likely killed in a mountain lion attack, federal officials said Tuesday.
State wildlife officials had released the wolf, which was in mid-April, into Colorado as part of the voter-approved reintroduction effort.
Joe Szuszwalak, a spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said trauma was listed as the cause of death in the necropsy report.
“Although not definitive, the puncture wounds in the skull are consistent with those typically inflicted by a mountain lion,” Szuszwalak wrote in an email.
There have been at least three other reports of mountain lions killing wolves in Oregon and Washington in recent years, he said.
Support Local Journalism
Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Colorado’s Western Slope in December and January as part of the state’s voter-approved re-introduction efforts.
Since their release, the wolves have spread out throughout the region. Using tracking collars, CPW has showing the wolves’ general locations.
Wolves have killed several calves on the Western Slope since re-introduction began, causing
