The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for information after determining that a male wolf that died last summer after it was captured for killing livestock had been shot before it was removed from the wild. That gunshot wound caused the wolf’s health to decline and was fatal after its capture, federal officials said in a news release Thursday. The announcement was the first time federal officials have specified what caused the wolf’s Sept. 3 death. The wolf, identified as 2309-OR, was one of 10 wolves released in December 2023 as part of Colorado’s voter-mandated reintroduction of the species. The male wolf fathered a litter of five puppies with one of the female wolves released as part of the reintroduction. The pack, known as the Copper Creek pack, was the first in the state established by reintroduced wolves. In August, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials decided to remove the pack from the wild after the adult male killed or injured more than a dozen head of livestock near Kremmling. The pack’s patriarch was in poor condition when it was captured, wildlife officials said at the time. Four days later, 2309-OR died. As the investigation into the wolf’s death continued, the full necropsy was not publicly available Thursday, Fish and Wildlife spokesman Joe Szuszwalak said. He also could not say approximately when the wolf was shot. Related Articles Environment | Map shows how far Colorado’s wandering wolves spread out in December Environment | Opinion: These Western voices called for better and in some cases they won major victories for public lands, the environment and nature Environment | Ranchers again ask Colorado wildlife officials to delay release of next round of wolves Environment | Reintroduced Colorado wolf likely died after fight with another wolf, federal wildlife officials say Environment | Colorado’s wolves expand territory south of I-70 for the first time The male wolf was the second of the 10 reintroduced wolves to be shot. Another wolf, 2307-OR, died after an altercation with another wolf, but the investigation into its death revealed that it had been shot in the leg. The wound had healed before its death. Harassing, injuring or killing a gray wolf in Colorado is a federal crime because the species is protected under the Endangered Species Act in the state. The Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for information about the shooting. Officials asked anyone with information about the wolf shooting to contact the service’s wildlife crime hotline by phone at 844-FWS-TIPS (397-8477), by email at [email protected] or online at www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips.