Endangered Mexican wolf escapes at Colorado wildlife center

An endangered Mexican wolf escaped from a Colorado wildlife center where it had been taken to breed with other captive wolves, authorities said Wednesday.

The 1-year-old, captiveborn male got out of an enclosure at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in the town of Divide, 55 miles south of Denver.

It escaped Nov. 11, the same day it arrived in Colorado with two other wolves, all from the California Wolf Center. Trappers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Agriculture Department have set out numerous traps in hopes of recapturing it.

The wolf is not considered a threat to people but could become defensive if it feels threatened, said Rob Vernon of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The association has a program to breed Mexican wolves in captivity in hopes that they can be released into the wild.

Because Mexican wolves are endangered, it is illegal to kill them unless defending human life. Wild wolves have been known to attack livestock, but Vernon did not know if the escaped male would do that.

“Whether it will instinctually attack something, that’s hard to say,” he said.

Because it has been raised in captivity and has not been taught survival skills, it may not be able to fend for itself, Vernon said.

“We’re hoping the public can help us keep an eye out for the little guy,” he said.