Wolf Escapes Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center staff say a wolf escaped back on November 11th.
The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is a nonprofit sanctuary for wolves. They're one of a handful of sanctuaries certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The place started back in 1993 when Darlene Kobobel rescued a wolf named Chinook. The animal was scheduled to be euthanized because it was a "wolf-hybrid". Darlene took action and created a safe haven for unwanted hybrid "wolf-dogs" so the Wolf Hybrid Rescue Center was born. On June 28th of 2003, the now Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center officially opened. You can visit, donate, or take a tour. For more info on the facility and how to find it, click HERE.
The animal that escaped is a young Mexican wolf. The animal “is not considered a threat to human health or public safety,” says the CWWC and not likely to turn up anywhere around Grand Junction. The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center facility he busted out of is off highway 24 west of Colorado Springs. The Mexican wolf, a subspecies of gray wolf, was born in captivity and had recently arrived before he broke out. Officials from the US Department of Agriculture sent a team to try and trap the wolf, but no luck. He should be easy to identify if you happen to have a close encounter. He's packing a radio collar, an ear tag, and is blind in one eye. That eye is almost completely black in color.
However unlikely if you see or hear anything of a wolf around, you're asked to call 866-487-3297 or fill out a "wolf sighting form" on the Colorado Parks & Wildlife website.
Credit: Out There Colorado