DENVER — Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials tried to kill a wolf they believe is responsible for the deaths of six sheep in less than a month in Rio Blanco County, but aren’t sure if the effort was successful.

CPW had planned to kill the wolf after three sheep attacks in the two-week span from July 20 to Aug. 2 – which qualifies as “chronic depredation” by the definition laid out in the state’s wolf-livestock conflict minimization program – but it was unable to carry out the removal operation because of evacuation orders that were in place due to the Lee Fire burning in the region.

The agency said the lethal action was authorized on Aug. 4. The wolf, which is uncollared, is now believed to be responsible for three additional sheep deaths on Aug. 16. CPW found the wolf that same day and

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