Mike Usalavage/Video courtesy
On Monday, August 19, Colorado Parks and Wildlife posted a video on social media of three wolf cubs and one adult wolf from the Copper Creek pack.
The video, shot by Mike Usalavage and reviewed and confirmed by wildlife agency wolf biologists, shows three pups playing around a puddle on a dirt road. An adult wolf is also present.
In the post, the agency said the three puppies were “healthy” and weighed between 40 and 50 pounds.
“Playing not only allows wolf cubs to practice their hunting skills, but also helps them learn to communicate effectively with other wolves. This skill will serve them throughout their lives as social creatures that live in packs,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife wrote on the social media platform.
Following efforts to reintroduce the gray wolf to Colorado in December, Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed the successful birth of the first wolf cub in Grand County in June. With at least one cub confirmed, the wolves were considered a pack and renamed the Copper Creek Pack.
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Before Monday’s video, the agency had speculated about the existence of a larger litter in the pack, but only confirmed the existence of a single one.
Since reintroducing 10 wolves to Grand and Summit counties, Parks and Wildlife has released monthly maps showing wolf activity in the watersheds the wolves traverse. The July map showed that the wolves spent most of their time in Routt, Grand, Summit and Jackson counties.
The reintroduced wolves are tracked using collars that record their location every four hours. In addition to using this data, the agency encourages community members to fill out wolf sighting forms. on its website.
“This information will help our biologists monitor wolves and their movements in Colorado,” Parks and Wildlife said on X.
Pictured here are three healthy wolf cubs (approximately 18-22 kg) and one adult wolf from the Copper Creek pack. We received this video and our wolf biologists have reviewed it and confirmed its validity.
Video courtesy of Mike Usalavage pic.twitter.com/vVnSdaIZ9m
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) 19 August 2024
