Colorado to Reintroduce Wolverines

“This law is a first step towards restoring native wolverines to Colorado’s high mountain habitat, righting a century-old wrong,” said Alli Henderson, southern Rockies director at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the many groups that supported the legislative effort. “Thanks to the governor and legislators for their leadership and kudos to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for working to make this reintroduction possible. Coloradans are excited to see these furry, fierce creatures return to their native range on our snowy peaks.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife began assessing the viability of reintroducing wolverines in the 1990s. Since then, Colorado's pristine high alpine habitat has only become more important for the species as climate change decreases snowpack across the animal’s current and lower elevation ranges in North America.

Wolverines were federally listed as threatened in November under the Endangered Species Act after more than a decade of litigation and advocacy by the Center and allies.

“We only have about 325 wolverines left in the lower 48 states, so this bill is a vital lifeline for these tenacious animals,” said Henderson. “We’re hopeful that wolverines will soon be thriving in their native high alpine habitat. With climate change pressures pushing them further to the brink, this reintroduction can't come soon enough.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to reintroduce 30 female and 15 male wolverines over a three-year period. Colorado will be the first state to reintroduce the species.


Photo: Wolverine (Gulo gulo), photo courtesy of: Larry Master.


The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/colorado-to-reintroduce-wolverines-2024-05-20/