SHOWS HOW RARE WOLF ATTACKS ARE
Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Tue, December 21, 2021
Colorado's first reported wolf kill of livestock in more than 70 years has state wildlife officials investigating the killing of a cow near Walden.
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association stated in a Monday afternoon news release that a 500-pound heifer cow was confirmed to be killed by a wolf or wolves believed to be from a known pack living in the area.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Rebecca Ferrell said the agency is aware of the report and is investigating the claim, which she said was received Sunday.
The kill was believed to have taken place Saturday night near the landowner's home and cattle facility, according to the cattlemen's association.
"If it is determined to be caused by the wolves that have naturally migrated into the state, we will compensate the landowner through our current game damage program,'' Ferrell said.
The Arvada-based Colorado Cattlemen's Association said in the release the kill was confirmed to be from wolves and that it was the first in the state in more than 70 years.
"On behalf of the livestock producer, who is a member of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, as well as Colorado Parks and Wildlife, we ask that the public refrain from disturbing the area and individuals associated with this wolf attack,'' Steve Wooten, association president, said in the release.
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The pack of two adult males and six pups was confirmed by Chris Chirichetti II, an archery elk hunter who shot video of the pack north of Walden in September. He showed the video to Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff. The video was the first of wolf pups born in the state in 80 years.
"It doesn't surprise me at all because they were stalking cattle when I saw them,'' Chirichetti said Monday when informed of the kill. The traveling nurse working in Greeley shot his video in September and posted it on Facebook in October.
Wildlife officials had been keeping tabs on two adult wolves, including an adult male they captured via helicopter and tagged with a GPS collar in February in the area. It was with a collared female, and the two were later seen exhibiting denning behavior and in early June had pups. The pack is located just miles from the western border of Larimer County.
Other sightings of wolves have taken place in the area. A pack that was living in extreme northwest Colorado is no longer in the state and its existence is unknown, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an existing fund that pays landowners for damages caused by wildlife, including predators like wolves, bears and mountain lions as well as elk, deer and moose.
Proposition 114, the ballot initiative that narrowly passed last year, requires the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a plan to introduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide, with wolves on the ground no later than the end of 2023.
The measure includes compensating livestock owners for confirmed kills by wolves.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working on a wolf reintroduction plan through public open houses, stakeholder groups and wildlife expert meetings.
Wolves were recently delisted as endangered federally but still are designated as a state endangered animal and are protected under state law. Illegally killing a wolf can result in a fine and prison time.
The cattlemen's association said the kill is "unfortunate'' and "this wolf kill further brings to light issues that must be addressed'' by the state's wolf reintroduction plan.
It specifically mentioned a guaranteed funding source to fairly provide needed tools for prevention and compensation from wolf impacts.
"(We) strongly encourage the members of the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan working groups and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to consider this wolf attack and the widespread impacts as a sentinel example of how livestock can be impacted by wolf introduction,'' the release read.
Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Tue, December 21, 2021
Colorado's first reported wolf kill of livestock in more than 70 years has state wildlife officials investigating the killing of a cow near Walden.
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association stated in a Monday afternoon news release that a 500-pound heifer cow was confirmed to be killed by a wolf or wolves believed to be from a known pack living in the area.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Rebecca Ferrell said the agency is aware of the report and is investigating the claim, which she said was received Sunday.
The kill was believed to have taken place Saturday night near the landowner's home and cattle facility, according to the cattlemen's association.
"If it is determined to be caused by the wolves that have naturally migrated into the state, we will compensate the landowner through our current game damage program,'' Ferrell said.
The Arvada-based Colorado Cattlemen's Association said in the release the kill was confirmed to be from wolves and that it was the first in the state in more than 70 years.
"On behalf of the livestock producer, who is a member of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, as well as Colorado Parks and Wildlife, we ask that the public refrain from disturbing the area and individuals associated with this wolf attack,'' Steve Wooten, association president, said in the release.
Wolves in Rocky Mountain National Park?: Some believe it should be a release site
The pack of two adult males and six pups was confirmed by Chris Chirichetti II, an archery elk hunter who shot video of the pack north of Walden in September. He showed the video to Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff. The video was the first of wolf pups born in the state in 80 years.
"It doesn't surprise me at all because they were stalking cattle when I saw them,'' Chirichetti said Monday when informed of the kill. The traveling nurse working in Greeley shot his video in September and posted it on Facebook in October.
Wildlife officials had been keeping tabs on two adult wolves, including an adult male they captured via helicopter and tagged with a GPS collar in February in the area. It was with a collared female, and the two were later seen exhibiting denning behavior and in early June had pups. The pack is located just miles from the western border of Larimer County.
Other sightings of wolves have taken place in the area. A pack that was living in extreme northwest Colorado is no longer in the state and its existence is unknown, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an existing fund that pays landowners for damages caused by wildlife, including predators like wolves, bears and mountain lions as well as elk, deer and moose.
Proposition 114, the ballot initiative that narrowly passed last year, requires the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a plan to introduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide, with wolves on the ground no later than the end of 2023.
The measure includes compensating livestock owners for confirmed kills by wolves.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working on a wolf reintroduction plan through public open houses, stakeholder groups and wildlife expert meetings.
Wolves were recently delisted as endangered federally but still are designated as a state endangered animal and are protected under state law. Illegally killing a wolf can result in a fine and prison time.
The cattlemen's association said the kill is "unfortunate'' and "this wolf kill further brings to light issues that must be addressed'' by the state's wolf reintroduction plan.
It specifically mentioned a guaranteed funding source to fairly provide needed tools for prevention and compensation from wolf impacts.
"(We) strongly encourage the members of the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan working groups and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to consider this wolf attack and the widespread impacts as a sentinel example of how livestock can be impacted by wolf introduction,'' the release read.
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Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado's first wolf kill of livestock in 70 years reported
Lynx reintroduction: Colorado's first predator brought back
Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado's first wolf kill of livestock in 70 years reported
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