Wildlife groups are attempting to capture and relocate the first wolf pack created under Colorado’s ambitious measures wolf reintroduction program after the animals have been repeatedly attacked cattlewhich marked an early failure of the voter-driven initiative.
The move comes just a week after state officials announced three pups were born to the Copper Creek pack, which was formed after 10 of the predators were released in December. bitter opposition from livestock groupsThe pack consists of at least two adults.
The capture effort runs counter to Colorado’s wolf management plan adopted last year, which included guidance that said relocation “has little technical merit” because it could cause problems elsewhere if the animals continue to attack livestock. The plan calls for using nonlethal approaches, such as patrolling ranches with range riders and chasing away problem wolves, or killing wolves if necessary to stop continued attacks on livestock.
Officials have not disclosed where the Copper Creek pack would be moved, nor whether they would be released into the wild or kept in captivity.
Ranching groups wanted to kill the wolf pack. Wildlife advocates said more should have been done to prevent them from killing livestock, such as installing electric fences that would better deter attacks.
In other parts of the U.S. where wolves are well-established — including the North American Rocky Mountains and around the Great Lakes — the predators are routinely killed by wildlife officials in response to livestock attacks. Wolves are prolific breeders, so removing some animals does not affect the entire population.
Colorado’s move to trap the problem wolves instead comes after an agency spokesman told The Associated Press last week that authorities wanted to avoid killing them because it’s “too early in the process” of reintroduction.
“There are not enough wolves on the landscape to lethally eradicate the pack,” said spokesman Travis Duncan.
State officials did not disclose where the trapping activities took place, but said the work was done in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Michael Saul of Defenders of Wildlife said it was a “major setback” for the reintroduction.
“There are a lot of ranchers who use existing tools but live with wolves and don’t have this problem,” Saul said.
Rancher Ted Ritschard, who lives about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the ranch in Grand County, Colorado, where most of the cattle attacks have occurred, said he was glad the pack would be removed. He blamed them for killing at least 16 cattle and sheep and wants to keep them captive so they don’t kill again.
“These pups have been trained to kill cattle, so they’re going to keep doing it,” said Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association. “Once they get a taste of sheep or cattle, it’s a whole different world.”
Ritschard said his group had applied for permission to kill the wolves that were causing problems earlier this year, but was denied. The state’s denial notice said livestock attacks had decreased after a rancher in the area buried a “dead pit” used to dump dead animals that was believed to attract wolves.
Ritschard denied the claim that the dead well played a role in the attacks.
“We saw the wolves going past that dead well at night. There was nothing fresh in that dead well,” he said.
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis described the Copper Creek pack’s relocation as a “unique case” but did not go into details.
“This action sets absolutely no precedent for how CPW will resolve wolf-livestock conflicts in the future,” Davis said in the statement. He said the goal was to relocate the pack “while we assess our best options for them.”
The reintroduction of wolves to Colorado was narrowly approved by voters in a 2020 vote. Wildlife officials expect to release another 30 to 50 wolves in the coming years. A handful of wolves have also strayed into Colorado from Wyoming.
Proponents argued that the top predators would restore ecological balance to the area. Wolves were largely driven from the state in the 1940s.
Owners of killed calves can receive compensation from the state for the market value of the animal, up to $15,000. Ranchers say that’s not enough.
Gray wolves killed about 800 domesticated animals in 10 states, including Colorado, in 2022, according to a previous study. Associated Press review of data on state and federal agencies’ raids.
While the losses may affect individual ranchers, it has a negligible effect on the industry as a whole. Ranchers say many excess deaths go unreported because the dead cattle are never found or the cause of death cannot be confirmed.