Colorado Quietly Releases New Batch of Wolves

Colorado officials continue to keep their fast-moving pace as it pertains to wolf reintroduction. After capturing 15 wolves from British Columbia earlier this month, they wasted no time in getting them stateside and officially released them in three batches last week.

Announcing the successful canine deposits, a press release by Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife on Saturday highlighted why state officials were so tight-lipped surrounding the exact dates that they planned to release the new wolves.

“CPW has a responsibility to balance the safety of staff and the animals with the level and timing of information provided during this complex wildlife operation,” the release said. “Unfortunately, staff safety was threatened as CPW offices were watched and threatening social media posts and phone calls were received.”

Releasing the wolves in three phases, officials quietly planted the new arrivals on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday of last week in both Eagle and Pitkin counties. In addition to the newly acquired wolves, CPW made the call to release the previously captured members of the Copper Creek Pack which consisted of a breeding female along with four pups.

News of the release is music to the ears of wolf advocates alike but will likely only serve to add fuel to the fire that is burning among ranchers and others who stand in opposition to these reintroduction efforts. Many who oppose the aggressive efforts of CPW to release these animals back into the wild are trying to grasp the reasoning behind the decision.

Aside from the obvious fact that the measure was voted upon, ranchers and other livestock producers are pointing to the damage caused, many are now pointing to the origin of the wolves that were released last week. 

In an effort to help bolster the province’s caribou numbers, British Columbia authorized the capture of the 15 wolves from an area specific to caribou and one that is devoid of any ranches or farming activities. 

The question many continue to have is, how does CPW expect such animals, who have grown accustomed to feeding on large ungulates such as caribou, to adjust to a new landscape.  If history has taught us anything during this experiment, it’s that calves and other livestock will, in all likelihood, offer an otherwise easy meal.

At this point, what’s done is done and the only thing left to do is to sit in wait. With a new ranchrider program set to be instituted in the spring, CPW maintains that they remain committed to the area’s ranchers to reduce depredation.

“As restoration efforts continue, CPW is committed to working with livestock owners, communities, state agencies and all partners to reduce the likelihood of wolf-livestock conflict. Our goal is to keep ranchers ranching, while at the same time restoring a healthy, sustainable population of gray wolves to Colorado as mandated,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis.