Organizations write letter asking Canadian government to not give wolves to Colorado
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Over two dozen livestock groups who have previously urged Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to stop its wolf reintroduction efforts are now directing their efforts toward the Canadian government.
In September, CPW announced that its next group of up to 15 wolves would be sourced from British Columbia. The province has been "culling" its wolf population since 2015 in response to the impact wolves have had on local caribou and moose populations.
A formal petition was filed the same month by 26 agricultural groups, who asked the CPW Commission to pause the addition of any more wolves "until Colorado's wolf management program can adequately address the conflicts between wolves and livestock producers."
RELATED: 26 Colorado agricultural groups file petition to halt wolf reintroduction efforts
Now, the groups have sent a letter to a dozen Canadian officials and government agencies asking them to reconsider their decision to be Colorado's next wolf provider.
The authors of the letter say Colorado's wolf reintroduction has seen a rocky start, with three of the ten wolves introduced in December of 2023 dying within the first year and another recaptured after being linked to high livestock fatalities.
According to the letter, about two dozen livestock were killed by the wolves from January to August along with additional "missing" livestock and suspected wolf-related deaths.
The letter also mentions that other Western states and Native American tribes have refused to provide wolves to CPW, citing "growing public opposition" to the program. It points to specifics in the group's petition, which calls for a specific series of program elements to be put in place before introducing more wolves.
“Among other things, the Petition demonstrates that Colorado needs to implement a fully developed site vulnerability assessment for each affected ranch, a program for carcass management given Colorado’s desire to change historic practices, a range rider program for managing wolf access to livestock in the many ranching regions of the state, and a rapid response team for livestock depredations. Colorado says these programs are being developed, but they are not yet in place. Funding issues for the program are unresolved," the letter reads in part.
CPW Director Jeff Davis issued a statement to our Denver news partners in response to the letter, writing:
"CPW is meeting with local communities and elected officials for discussions about potential release locations and how to prepare to live with wolves. CPW "continue[s] to conduct site assessments with willing ranchers and we are partnering with CDA and hosting local conflict mitigation training sessions with producers to further prepare for wolves on the landscape."
