Latest news with #depredation
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
CPW lethally removes gray wolf in Pitkin County
PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) — On Thursday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) lethally removed gray wolf 2045 in the Copper Creek Pack for chronic depredation in Pitkin County. The decision came after CPW determined that livestock producers, despite implementing non-lethal deterrence measures and removing attractants that lured in wolves, had experienced chronic wolf depredation. The agency confirmed four depredation events between May 17 and May 25 and will continue to monitor the Copper Creek Pack for behavioral changes. CPW documented the following timeline of events between May 17 and May 25 for the Copper Creek Pack wolf: Friday, May 23: CPW found evidence that a gray wolf killed a calf on private property. Saturday, May 17: Wolf-caused injury found on a calf on private property. Saturday, May 24: CPW found evidence that a gray wolf killed one calf and injured another on private property. Sunday, May 25: CPW found evidence that a gray wolf injured a cow and a calf on private property. For all events, CPW used collar data cross-reference to indicate that a gray wolf or wolves from the Copper Creek Pack were in the area at the time. On May 25, CPW determined that the events met the definition of chronic depredation before plans were implemented to gain landowner permission and safely remove the wolf. 'The decision to take lethal management action was very difficult,' said CPW Director Jeff Davis. 'Our wildlife biologists and officers constructed a timeline of recent events that shows the depredation behavior met the conditions for chronic depredation that were defined earlier this year. We have great respect for these animals and take the removal of a wolf very seriously. Removal of problem animals is unfortunate and rare, but consistent with the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan.' Chronic depredation is the frequent and consistent injuring or death of a producer's livestock or working dogs caused by the same wolf or wolf pack within 30 days. CPW determines four factors to determine the lethal removal of wolves that display signs of chronic depredation. These factors include documentation of chronic depredation, previous use of non-lethal removal techniques, the likelihood that the depredation will continue without lethal removal and if any attractants have been used to lure wolves to the location. 'We are committed to the success of gray wolf restoration in Colorado while also minimizing impacts to livestock producers,' Davis said. 'CPW's management action is intended to change pack behavior by discouraging continued targeting of livestock as a prey base while also leaving the pack with the best chance of reproductive success in the future. Wolves in the pack are collared and CPW will continue to closely monitor the pack's behavior to determine if behavior has changed.' CPW has shared in a press release that it will not share the location of the remaining pack members or the operation; however, the agency will monitor the location and behavior of the remaining Copper Creek Pack wolves in addition to working with local livestock producers on non-lethal conflict tools to reduce potential future conflict in the area. CPW will post a final report on its website once the investigations of the Copper Creek Pack are complete. More information about the Colorado Gray Wolf Restoration and Management Plan or Proposition 114 can be found on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New wolf activity map released as ranchers report Memorial Day weekend livestock attacks
DENVER (KDVR) — A new wolf activity map from Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows how far the state's reintroduced wolves are ranging—while ranchers say the Memorial Day weekend brought another wave of attacks on livestock in Pitkin County. CPW confirms multiple new depredations are under investigation, though no final determinations have been made. Still, members of the cattle industry say the damage—and the breakdown in trust—is already done. ⬇️ 'We're still behind the ball on all this, and quite frankly it was just a matter of time that this was going to happen at this point,' said Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association. According to Ritschard, the latest incidents include several injured animals and at least two calves killed in what he described as a bold, midday attack inside a calving field. 'Some of this happened in the middle of the day… and so that's like they got used to humans… and that's not— to me that's not natural.' Multiple calves dead, injured by wolves over Memorial Day: Colorado Cattlemen's Association Ritschard believes the culprits are likely members of the Copper Creek pack, which was relocated to Pitkin County in January. That same pack was previously removed following costly attacks in Middle Park. 'We highly recommended to CPW that they not release that pack again because they were known depredators, and now we are dealing with this.' 'CPW came out and decided they needed to remove the pack—that's when they went in, removed the female, the male, and then four of the five pups… And obviously in January, they released them again.' A CPW spokesperson said the agency is actively investigating, but declined to comment until findings are complete. Meanwhile, ranchers say the pace of the reintroduction program is outpacing protections on the ground—like range rider programs meant to mitigate risk. Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV 'It takes time to learn this country. It takes time to understand this. And so those people just started, they might not know anything, and from what I've been told, the one range rider that was down there was in an area with no cattle.' The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, a key group backing the reintroduction plan, says the system is working—and called the reintroduction effort a 'success.' They warn calls for lethal removal are premature and say more information is needed about what mitigation strategies were used in Pitkin County. The group points to a statewide compensation fund for ranchers, and ongoing use of non-lethal tools like hazing, as key parts of the coexistence effort. CPW's May wolf activity map shows the collared wolves continue to range broadly, and some ranchers fear that nowhere is safe from conflict. 'They should know what happened last year and obviously they didn't learn from their mistakes. But you know—we're dealing with the same thing again, just in a different area. You took a problem wolf from one area and put it in another area.' The Colorado Cattlemen's Association says early promises made during the reintroduction process were broken—and communication with the ranching community is suffering. As for whether CPW would consider pausing or scaling back the reintroduction effort, a spokesperson told FOX31 the agency remains committed to continuing the program—and minimizing its impact on ranchers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
