Divided response after Copper Creek wolf pack relocation

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Earlier this week, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced they were planning to relocate two reintroduced wolves and their wolf pups following multiple depredation incidents.

CPW did not say where they would be moving the Copper Creek pack, citing the need to protect the wolves and staff.

Livestock producers in Grand County said they appreciated the effort.

“We’ve been asking for it,” said Tim Ritschard, Middle Park Stockgrowers Association president. “I mean, we’re at 16 confirmed deaths now just with this pack.”

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Those 16 confirmed deaths include nine sheep and at least seven head of cattle since April.

“If a wolf wanders in and kills a cow or a calf, that’s tolerable, but when they set up camp and repeatedly depredate on livestock, that’s where the problem is,” Ritschard said.

However, Ritschard said there is a concern that the wolf pack could return or depredate livestock from other livestock producers.

“That’s why we wanted lethal, because we didn’t want this to go to another producer somewhere else and have that exact same issue,” Ritschard said.

Wolf advocates worry about pack’s health

Meanwhile, wolf advocates argue this relocation effort only serves to endanger the pack.

“I’m really worried that if they bring the Copper Creek wolves into the unfamiliar territories, it’s going to be a death sentence for the pups, especially if the wolf family isn’t kept together,” said Alli Henderson, Southern Rockies director for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Henderson said the need for the pack to be relocated is a result of some livestock producers not utilizing all nonlethal methods available to them.

“We know that there are ways to prevent it and there are ways to be successful and we need to be exhausting those,” Henderson said.

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She cited other livestock producers she knows of who have been able to keep wolves away from their livestock.

“There are livestock operations that are taking advantage of those tools and the funding and learning how to properly deploy effective nonlethal measures,” Henderson said. “They’re giving a real boost to the restoration efforts and aligning with the law.”

How have ranchers tried to deter wolves non-lethally?

Ritschard said he has heard this sentiment before, and said they have used all nonlethal methods they can including range riders, hazing and other methods, except for one.

“The reason why we didn’t do fladry was, part of it was the terrain of the land,” Ritschard said. “And then the other part of that was because of liability.”

Fladry is a type of fencing, usually electric, that has flags or ribbons on it to deter wildlife. Ritschard said many of the livestock producers own land that people recreate on and many of them did not want to risk children or horses getting caught in it.

“Say a cow elk runs through it, or something runs through it. Knocks it down and it’s strung out through the meadow and then your horse gets caught in it. It’ll cut your horse’s legs up. Or if it’s not your horse, then it’s the neighbor’s horse,” Ritschard said.

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As the questions remain, both sides are hoping for a reasonable outcome, with livestock producers investing in ways to better protect their livestock, and wolf advocates hoping for better coexistence going forward.

“The big thing that this real regrettable situation has taught us is that we have to do more though to prevent this in the future,” Henderson said.

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