After months of attacks on livestock in and around Grand County, state wildlife officials said Wednesday they have “initiated an operation” to relocate the first wolf pack, part of an effort that began last winter to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado.
The relocated animals include two adult wolves and the three pups they had this spring. By reproducing in the wild, the wolves captured in Oregon and released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials late last year formed the first established wolf pack to emerge from the state’s reintroduction program and were named the Copper Creek pack.
“The decision to capture and relocate the Copper Creek pack was made after careful consideration of numerous factors and feedback from many different stakeholders,” CPW Director Jeff Davis said in a news release. “Our options in this unique case were very limited, and this action is by no means a precedent for how CPW will resolve wolf-livestock conflict in the future.”
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The state’s wolf reintroduction program is the implementation of a popular initiative passed by voters in 2020 to reintroduce the animals to Colorado in the name of restoring ecological balance. The measure, Proposition 114, passed by a narrow margin of 51% to 49%, and although it includes provisions to compensate ranchers for depredations, it faces fierce opposition from Colorado’s rancher industry.
At least 15 cattle and nine sheep were killed by wolves in Grand and Routt counties after reintroduction last year, according to CPW data. The agency and local ranchers say many of the depredations were caused by the Copper Creek pack. Last month, CPW denied an application submitted in May by the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association for a permit to kill wolves, which are considered chronic predators.
In an August 14 letter to CPW and Governor Jared Polis, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and local ranching organizations criticized the decision and wrote of their “deep concerns about the current direction and implementation of Colorado’s wolf reintroduction and management program.”
“Since the inception of the wolf reintroduction program, we have actively engaged and cooperated in good faith while also voicing our concerns throughout the process,” the letter states. “However, our concerns have been consistently ignored. If the current trajectory of wolf management continues, it will become increasingly difficult for us to continue our cooperation.”
This decision is politically motivated and not based on scientifically sound management and is likely to significantly delay the progress of the reintroduction programme.
– Mike Senatore, wildlife defender
The advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife sharply criticized the state’s decision to relocate the pack, calling it a “risky, short-term solution” and accusing ranchers and CPW officials of failing to pursue more effective means of non-lethal control and deterrence.
“This decision is politically motivated, not based on science-based management, and will significantly delay the progress of the reintroduction program,” said Mike Senatore, senior vice president of conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife. “All parties involved in the events that led to this deeply flawed decision should be held accountable for their failure to effectively use proven coexistence tools.”
In December 2023, a total of 10 reintroduced wolves were released in Grand and Summit counties and have since roamed widely in the mountains north of the Interstate 70 corridor. CPW said it would not release further details about the Copper Creek pack’s relocation “for the safety of these animals and staff.”
“The ultimate goal of the operation is to relocate the pack to another location while we evaluate our best options so they can continue to contribute to the successful reintroduction of wolves in Colorado,” Davis said.
