Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently made an announcement that 20 wolves, including 15 from British Columbia, have been released in Eagle and Pitkin counties. The Copper Creek pack, along with a mother wolf and her four pups believed to be responsible for some livestock killings in Grand County, were among those relocated. The wolves were captured from areas in British Columbia where predator reduction is occurring to support caribou recovery. CPW clarified that they did not compensate or pay for the wolves themselves, but did cover all costs associated with their capture and transport.
Although some of the wolves from Oregon had histories of livestock depredation, CPW stated that they wouldn’t purposely seek out wolves with that history. However, more than two dozen livestock have been killed by the Oregon wolves in the past year. Following the releases, concerns were raised about the impact on the local ranching community, with claims totaling over $581,000 from three Grand County ranchers.
Sen. Dylan Roberts expressed concerns about the lack of completed action items aimed at protecting livestock before the wolves were released. The wolf management plan also raised questions about bringing Canadian wolves to the United States, which CPW stated was allowed under CITES.
Overall, CPW remains committed to working with livestock owners and communities to reduce wolf-livestock conflict while restoring a healthy wolf population in Colorado. The release of wolves comes as part of a ballot measure approved in 2020, with the mandate for wolves to be placed west of the Continental Divide. Both Eagle and Pitkin counties have significant livestock inventories, with cattle being the majority in both locations. The management plan dictates that wolves be released on state public lands or private lands with consent from landowners.
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