Editor’s Note: The following article, penned by Darlene Kobobel, (founder of the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide), pertains to a decision by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) not to pursue any criminal action against a hunter who mistakenly shot a gray wolf that was part of the original group introduced in Colorado. Following a favorable verdict by Colorado voters regarding a state ballot issue, a certain number of wild wolves were reintroduced to the state in Dec. 2023. The shooting incident in question occurred in January 2026 and resulted in the hunter receiving a $140 citation and five license suspension points for taking a protected animal without proper licensing. To date, 14 of the 25 gray wolves relocated to Colorado by the state’s Parks and Wildlife agency have died. This total includes eight wolves from the initial Oregon group and six from the Canadian cohort released in 2025. Teller County, however, has not received any reports of injured or fatal wolves or possible livestock, resulting from the program. But Teller and adjacent areas have experienced occasional reports regarding the wild animals traveling through the area.
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Founder Raises Concerns Over State Decision in Death of Gray Wolf
Darlene Kobobel, a member of Colorado’s Wolf Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG), who also is the chief executive officer and creator of the Divide-based Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, is expressing serious concern over Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) decision not to pursue additional penalties in the killing of female gray wolf 2504, an endangered animal protected under both state and federal law…