Say it Ain’t so, Joe! CO Wolves Kill Cattle
By Dave Shaffer
It’s baseball season so I figured a reference to “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who was implicated in one of the most notorious sports scandals in American history, would be appropriate because right now we could easily say, “Say it Ain’t so, CPW!
Just two days ago Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) received a report of a dead calf. CPW wildlife officers responded, conducted a field investigation, and confirmed the first wolf-livestock depredation had occurred since the animals’ reintroduction began in December 2023 (just a couple of months ago).
“The results of this investigation indicated wounds consistent with wolf depredation,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Jeromy Huntington. “The field investigation found multiple tooth rake marks on the calf’s hindquarters and neck, and hemorrhaging under the hide, consistent with wolf depredation. Wolf tracks were also found nearby.”
While the state can compensate the calf’s owner in this attack for the animal’s fair market value, ranchers have argued that the presence of wolves poses a risk to their livestock. “The incident, which resulted in the loss of livestock, underscores the ongoing challenges faced by ranchers in managing conflicts between livestock and wildlife,” the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association said in a statement Wednesday. “Wolf presence presents significant challenges for ranchers striving to maintain the health and well-being of their livestock.”
And let’s not forget, the first five wolves released in Colorado were from packs in Oregon that were deemed responsible for killing or injuring livestock in 2022 and 2023. So now they’ve begun killing cattle right here in Colorado. Say it ain’t so…
4 comments
It is criminal that the people who voted on the re-introduction of the wolves for the most part do not live in the areas affected yet the Ranchers do and must deal with this. It appears that many in Colorado have been provided a bad deal by CPW. Obviously this is just a political charged agenda and there will be a lot of people suffer from it. One only needs to look at the Greater Yellowstone Region and what the wolves have accomplished and the ongoing issues they are causing. Best wishes to those in Colorado that are dealing with the wolves…..I think some of us know how this is all going to end.
EXACTLY
So predictable.
As a wildlife biologist and hunting guide I can tell you what we’re seeing here in Idaho. The misconceived animal rightest believe when you transplant an apex predator like a wolf, they’ll only live on their “natural” prey, and stay in their transplanted area.
Livestock are a much easier and safer food source than tackling a deer or elk, and once they get acclimated to livestock they’ll focus more and more on them.
In regards to picking an “area” to transplant wolves to, packs will roam huge areas to find enough protein to survive, sometimes hundreds of square miles.
In addition, as evident by the young male radio collared wolf transplanted in Idaho, as is their habitat, once it became breeding age, the alpha male kicks him out. This one particular male struck out west, crossed Oregon, heading south into California. It was tracked clear down to Bishop, turned around and headed north to Lassen county in Northern California where’s its now a part of an established pack.
Sadly the people making these decisions live in an entirely different world.
George Visger