Current:Home > Contact-usWolf kills calf in Colorado in first confirmed depredation since animals' reintroduction-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Wolf kills calf in Colorado in first confirmed depredation since animals' reintroduction
View Date:2024-12-23 20:18:30
A calf was attacked and killed in Colorado, wildlife officials said Wednesday, confirming the first gray wolf depredation since the animals' reintroduction in the state last December.
Wildlife officials received a report on Tuesday morning about a possible depredation incident involving a dead calf in Grand County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release. The agency confirmed after a field investigation that the calf's wounds were consistent with a wolf attack and wolf tracks were also found nearby.
"The results of this investigation indicated wounds consistent with wolf depredation," wildlife manager Jeromy Huntington said in a statement Wednesday. "The field investigation found multiple tooth rake marks on the calf's hindquarters and neck, and hemorrhaging under the hide, consistent with wolf depredation."
The agency did not say whether Colorado's reintroduced wolves or the state's remaining members of the North Park pack were responsible for the kill. The North Park wolf pack is known to wander far from its home territory in Jackson County and pack members have been sighted in Grand County in recent years.
While the state can compensate the calf's owner in Tuesday's attack for the animal's fair market value, ranchers have argued that the presence of wolves poses a risk to their livestock.
"The incident, which resulted in the loss of livestock, underscores the ongoing challenges faced by ranchers in managing conflicts between livestock and wildlife," the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association said in a statement Wednesday. "Wolf presence presents significant challenges for ranchers striving to maintain the health and well-being of their livestock."
What's so controversial about wolves?Colorado's gray wolf reintroduction plan
First confirmed wolf depredation since December
Colorado's reintroduced wolves were released in two counties last December, three years after voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative for the wolves' reintroduction. Between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22, wildlife experts released 10 gray wolves onto public land in Summit and Grand counties, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Five wolves were initially released in Grand County after being captured in Oregon, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said. The wolves included two juvenile males, two juvenile females, and one adult male.
Until Tuesday's wolf depredation, there had not been a confirmed depredation of livestock since Dec. 13, 2023, when a Jackson County rancher had a heifer injured. Several Jackson County ranchers have said members of the North Park pack have been wandering among their cattle in recent weeks.
Colorado plans to release up to 50 wolves
Colorado's controversial plan has received widespread opposition from farmers and ranchers, who consider wolves a dangerous threat to wildlife and livestock. Several other states also refused to supply Colorado with wolves, citing concerns over wolf population growth and wolves crossing state borders.
In October 2023, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced a one-year agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to supply the state with gray wolves. Colorado now plans to release up to 50 wolves captured from Oregon.
State officials plan to release dozens of wolves captured from Oregon, with the hopes of creating self-sustaining packs that consist of 150 to 200 animals.
"It is anticipated that wolf reintroduction efforts will require the transfer of about 30 to 50 wolves in total over a three- to five-year time frame," according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "(Colorado Parks and Wildlife) will aim to capture 10 - 15 wild wolves annually from several different packs."
Contributing: Sarah Kyle and Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan; Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY
veryGood! (738)
Related
- GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia
- See damage left by Debby: Photos show flooded streets, downed trees after hurricane washes ashore
- What investors should do when there is more volatility in the market
- Tropical Storm Debby swirls over Atlantic, expected to again douse the Carolinas before moving north
- Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
- Family of 4 from Texas missing after boat capsizes off Alaska coast; search suspended
- 2024 Olympics: Who is Cole Hocker? Meet the Runner Whose Win Has Fans in a Frenzy
- 'Halloween' star Charles Cyphers dies at 85
- MVSU football player killed, driver injured in crash after police chase
- Caeleb Dressel on his Olympics, USA swimming's future and wanting to touch grass
Ranking
- Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
- 9 dead, 1 injured after SUV crashes into Palm Beach County, Florida canal
- Freddie Freeman's emotional return to Dodgers includes standing ovation in first at bat
- In Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, company cancels plans for grain export facility in historic Black town
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Tuesday August 6, 2024
- Nelly Furtado Shares Rare Insight Into Life With Her 3 Kids
- Reese Witherspoon Mourns Death of Her Dog Hank
Recommendation
-
Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
-
Dozens of sea lions in California sick with domoic acid poisoning: Are humans at risk?
-
As the Paris Olympics wind down, Los Angeles swings into planning for 2028
-
All the 2024 Olympic Controversies Shadowing the Competition in Paris
-
These Michael Kors’ Designer Handbags Are All Under $150 With an Extra 22% off for Singles’ Day
-
Enjoy this era of U.S. men's basketball Olympic superstars while you still can
-
NCAA Division I board proposes revenue distribution units for women's basketball tournament
-
US abortion numbers have risen slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds