Colorado wolf dies in Larimer County, as more call on wildlife officials to adopt lethal management

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that one of the 10 gray wolves reintroduced in Colorado was found dead last week in Larimer County, likely of natural causes, although that needs to be confirmed.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service became aware of a deceased gray wolf in Larimer County on April 18, according to Joe Szuszwalak, a public affairs specialist with the agency's Mountain-Prairie office. 

"As a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, the Service is investigating and has sent the carcass for a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Initial evidence suggests that this wolf likely died of natural causes, but a final determination will not be made until the necropsy is completed," he said.

"This wolf was one of the ten recently released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in December 2023, and the Service is working cooperatively with CPW in our investigation. No additional details are available at this time."

Some of the wolves released in Colorado in December came from packs from Oregon with a history of killing livestock, including kills as recent as a year ago.

Several wolves are responsible for recent attacks on cattle in Grand and Jackson counties. At least six cattle, including two calves, were killed in a two-week period, and another calf was injured. Most of the kills were from wolves reintroduced in the state in December, although the livestock killed in Jackson County may have been from wolves that have been in that area for several years.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been under fire for refusing to do anything other than recommend non-lethal methods, which ranchers say have limited effectiveness, if at all.

The pleas to state wildlife officials to take action started with a letter last week from the Middle Park Stockgrowers, a Grand County organization, which called on the agency to use lethal methods to deal with the wolves that are killing livestock during the heart of calving season.

One letter has now turned into a flood of letters to the agency — from the North Park Stockgrowers, the Grand County sheriff, the Gunnison County Stockgrowers' Association, the Larimer County Stockgrowers and the Associated Governments of Northern Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife's lack of action is causing ranchers to "close the gates" to members of the public who rely on private lands for hunting, fishing and recreational pursuits, as well as off wildlife staff from conservation programs, including wildlife programs, that rely on private landowners, the livestock groups said. 

The Gunnison County ranchers said the situation is clearly "chronic depredation," which "warrants management of these problem wolves."

"How CPW leadership moves forward and takes care of this conflict is critical to the success of wolf reintroduction in Colorado," the group said.

The Associated Governments of Northern Colorado represents Delta, Garfield, Grand, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, and Rio Blanco counties and all their municipalities.

Their letter, which supported the Middle Park Stockgrowers, blasted the state wildlife agency for missteps in the reintroduction process and the problems that have taken place since.

The killing of 20 animals, including cattle, sheep and working dogs in Jackson County by wolves that originated in Wyoming, is "intolerable," the group said, adding it has cost taxpayers $39,000.

The state's wolf management plan said "no wolf should be translocated that has a known history of chronic depredation, and sourcing from geographic areas with chronic depredation events should not occur."

The group pointed out that Colorado Parks and Wildlife had promised such attacks on livestock would be "incredibly rare."

"It is evident that CPW’s approach so far has been grossly inadequate," the group said." The agency's refusal to share live tracking data would help ranchers with preparing for mitigating those situations.

The letter also noted Colorado Parks and Wildlife's failure to come up with a definition of "chronic depredation" that would allow the agency and ranchers the authority to deal with wolves that are chronically killing livestock.

"CPW is using the lack of definition as a shield to refuse lethal take of these killer wolves," the group said, pointing out that other states have been decisive in similar situations, such as Montana, which removed an entire pack after one wolf killed just one animal.

The letter also raised concerns over ranchers' mental health.

"These ranches are oftentimes generational and deeply ingrained in the producers’ DNA. This isn’t just a job to them, this is their livelihood and their way of life," the group said. "They’ve been lied to and denied their basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The trust is gone. The gates are closing."

The group added: "CPW themselves have admitted that the wildlife program would not exist without the cooperation of these families. We are extremely disappointed in how CPW has shown its gratitude to these same families."

The communities' patience is gone, the group also said.

The group demanded that wildlife officials "start respecting the needs and rights of Northwest Colorado’s residents."

"This begins with the removal of the wolves that are killing livestock in Grand and Jackson counties. Help the ranchers by sharing the tracking data and allow them to protect their animals. Lastly, allow genuine local stakeholder engagement," the group said, adding, "Those coming to see the wolves will go home, but this is where we live. We have the right to have a say in what happens on our land."