Colorado Wolf Pack Kills Cattle for First Time in Over 70 Years

(Bloomberg) -- Colorado suffered its first wolf pack kill of cattle in more than 70 years as the state draws up plans to reintroduce gray wolves into the wild as part of a voter-approved initiative, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association said.

“The results of this investigation indicated wolf tracks in the immediate vicinity of the carcass and wounds on the calf consistent with wolf depredation,” said Kris Middledorf, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a state agency. 

The death of the 500-pound heifer was reported to state officials Sunday near Walden in Jackson County, which borders Wyoming.

In early 2021, state wildlife officials confirmed the existence of a pack in north central Colorado after prior reports of lone wolves, the cattlemen’s association said.

In November, Colorado voters approved Initiative 114 directing the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a plan to introduce gray wolves onto the state’s Western Slope. Ranchers have expressed their reservations to the program.

“Gray wolves historically inhabited most of Colorado, but were extirpated,” according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “The last known resident wolves in Colorado were in the 1940s until the most recent discovery of two separately migrating wolves - one in 2019 and the other in 2021 - that produced a litter of pups in northern Colorado in 2021.”

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