DENVER (KDVR) — Following a flurry of gray wolf news, including the discovery of two wolf carcasses, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has launched a new depredation reporting webpage alongside its monthly wolf activity map.
Gray wolf depredation occurs when wolves take livestock from ranchers, usually for food, thereby killing the livestock. The state has listed four confirmed looting incidents so far this year, resulting in six deaths. Three of the incidents were in Grand County and one in Jackson, but all were reported in April.
CPW said the list is updated every time staff investigates and confirms a new looting incident. The purpose is to inform the public about CPW’s wolf investigations.
The webpage lists when wolf attacks occurred, what county they were recorded in, whether a claim was filed and the number of cattle or calves involved. State reports show two calves and four cattle have been involved in depredations so far this year.
It did not list whether the wolf was a reintroduced wolf or one that had migrated to the state, but it did link to a press release stating whether the wolf was one of 10 wolves reintroduced over the winter.
The page also lists the amount of compensation each rancher received for the loss of livestock. For example, a depredation incident involving a dog recorded in Jackson County on March 13, 2023 resulted in a resident receiving $15,000. When a claim is submitted and CPW confirms gray wolves were involved, the state will compensate livestock producers based on the fair market value of the livestock.
The list currently dates back to December 2021 and cites only three incidents reported outside of Jackson County, all of which occurred in April of this year.
Several livestock producers and ranching associations and the Grand County Sheriff are calling on the state to fatally eliminate wolves that prey on livestock. The state called the move “premature.”
Sharing wolf movement through watershed map
CPW has been sharing watershed maps from gray wolf GPS collar data, but not more specific locations to help keep wolves safe.
Map data is provided through GPS collars, which are still working, with two of the original 10 collars having become inoperative since early March. However, CPW biologists say animals with failed collars travel with wolves with functional collars so they can be monitored.
CPW said they knew the wolves wearing the non-functioning collars were still alive because they observed the animals on the plane.
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This map shows collared gray wolf activity recorded by CPW between February 28 and March 25, 2024. -
This map shows the locations of 12 collared wolves between January 23 and February 27. Colorado Parks and Wildlife) -
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is tracking two wolves that entered Moffat County. A map shows where 12 collared wolves have been over the past month. (Map: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
However, one of two recently found dead wolves in Colorado was found to be one of 10 reintroduced, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The wolf was found in Larimer County and will be subject to a federal investigation because wolves are listed under the Endangered Species Act.
CPW’s activity map shows reintroduced wolves are found on the Divide and Front Range east of the Continental Divide. Wolves have been documented in the watershed surrounding Estes Park and in the watershed that almost entirely covers Jackson and Grand counties.
In its request to have the wolves killed, the Larimer County Livestock Growers Association said they believe the eight counties with documented collared wolves account for about 5 percent of the state’s livestock population.
These counties were also the areas that voted against measures to reintroduce wolves. The organization said livestock production in these counties brings more than $158 million in economic impact to the state.
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