Wolf pups have been spotted in Pitkin County, Colorado, according to several sources, including a rancher whose calf was attacked by wolves this spring. Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that it has seen pups in an emailed statement to Outdoor Life, and that their employees are continuing to monitor four den sites.
“CPW staff have begun to get minimum counts of pups by both direct observations and indirect methods,” the spokesperson wrote. “It is important to note that sighting numbers (especially from early season sightings) are not a guaranteed number of animals since certainty in detection is low, based on continued denning, moving to rendezvous sites and being in varied habitat.”
The agency declined to provide a specific pup count, and did not reply to a request for clarification on whether or how they’re using trail cameras to monitor the pups. CPW also did not specify the county or counties of the den sites.
But a Pitkin County rancher says at least some wolf pups are denning a quarter mile from his cows, according to the Colorado Sun, and that CPW officials are planning to use strategically placed roadkill to draw wolves away from his vulnerable new calves. One of the rancher’s calves was attacked by a wolf over Memorial Day weekend, and he suspects the nearby pups are part of the Copper Creek Pack.
On May 29 CPW officials euthanized a gray wolf from the Copper Creek Pack that had been chronically preying on livestock in Pitkin County. The Copper Creek Pack was trapped in the fall after multiple depredation incidents in another county, and ultimately released again in January. Fifteen wolves were captured in British Columbia and released in Pitkin and Eagle counties around the same time.
The rancher, Mike Cerveny, is one of many stockgrowers frustrated by the way the reintroduction has threatened his livelihood. Cerveny told the Sun that he’s not anti-wolf, “just like I’m not an anti-crocodile or anti-hippo guy. Like, everything has its own area and place to be where they thrive. But do I think wolves should be dropped off in the freaking first week of January, when it’s 20 below, next to my cows? Uh, no. I think this is the dumbest thing in the world.”
While CPW has not yet released any formal statements about this year’s pups, the agency has been publicizing its efforts to raise funding for non-lethal wolf mitigation through its speciality license program. On Tuesday the agency reported that selling some 18,000 “Born to Be Wild” vehicle license plates has raised almost $950,000 for conflict mitigation.
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“This special license plate allows Colorado residents to support ranchers by providing funding to CPW for non-lethal conflict minimization tools and programs and programs,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “The hope is that this program will get the public engaged and increase overall sales of the license plate, in turn reducing impacts with livestock. These efforts help support the implementation of the state’s Wolf Restoration and Management Plan and CPW’s implementation of the state statute to restore a self-sustaining gray wolf population, all while supporting rural ways of life and the robust livestock industry that is such a critical component of Colorado’s culture and economy.”
Funds raised through the program include support for the state’s range rider program, where riders on horseback or four-wheelers patrol livestock areas and haze wolves as necessary. In March, Colorado nearly drained its depredation compensation fund when it approved $343,000 in livestock losses.
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