Eleven months after Colorado reintroduced wolves, the nearly $5 million and counting voter-approved plan has been marred with concerns about political pressure from the governor’s office and a lack of transparency and adherence to the state’s recovery plan by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
It’s a rocky start to the state’s recovery of the polarizing predator.
The concerns started with the covert initial release of 10 wolves into western Colorado ranch country in December of 2023, half of which the Coloradoan and other media discovered belonged to packs in Oregon with a recent history of livestock depredations (killing or injuring animals) .
Frustrations heated up with released wolves killing or injuring two dozen livestock in a four-month stretch through July in counties surrounding where wolves were released.
The boiling point was the removal of the Copper Creek pack , the released wolves’ first pack, by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in late August and early September due to its repeated killing of livestock.