Colorado state wildlife officials will relocate a wolf pack on the state’s Western Slope, following months of pressure from area ranchers to address two adult wolves connected to more than a dozen incidents involving livestock in the region.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Tuesday night that the agency kicked off an “operation to capture and relocate” wolves in the state’s new Copper Creek pack, which has been linked to the deaths and injuries of cattle and sheep in Grand County since April.
Rob Edward of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, which pushed for the reintroduction of wolves into the state, said the decision also highlights the need for clearer guidelines on how to respond to similar incidents in the future.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this,” Edward said. He said the decision adds to the importance of CPW’s recently created ad hoc working group “and the need for that to result in clear guidelines for consistently assessing and responding to depredation in a thoughtful, science-based manner.”
