Over three weeks after Colorado Parks and Wildlife thought it captured all the members of the Copper Creek Pack, the agency has identified what it believes to be a fifth pup in Grand County. 

On Monday, Sept. 30, the wildlife agency said it began operations to capture and reunite the pup with the surviving members of the pack, who remain in captivity. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife began efforts to capture the Copper Creek Pack in late August after the pack was connected to numerous livestock killings in Grand County. Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5, the agency captured what it believed was all six members of the pack. This included the adult male and female wolves as well as four pups. The adult male wolf died four days after his capture in captivity from injuries it had sustained in the wild. The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. 

At the time, the agency said it was “confident” there were no other pups. However, it left several game cameras in the area to make sure it had captured them all. 

An uncollared gray wolf was identified on one of these cameras on Friday, Sept. 20, by Parks and Wildlife biologists, believing it to be another pup from the pack.

In the Monday release, Parks and Wildlife said it would reunite this fifth pup “with its litter mates and mother and prepare for winter release.”

In early September, Parks and Wildlife said the pups would be collared and released into the wild once they were fully grown. It had yet to decide whether or not the adult female would be released as well.