GREY WOLF RE-INTRODUCTION INTO COLORADO – Can you hear the howls of the Grey Wolf in Colorado? Well, there are people out there that want to.
The same biologists that were the driving force in the 1990’s to get the wolf re-introduced into Yellowstone believes that the wolf can be successfully brought back to the Western mountains of Colorado.
The grey wolf roamed the Western Rockies of Colorado up until the 1940’s, at which time they were removed from the state. Mike Phillips, a biologist from the successful Yellowstone re-introduction efforts, believes it would only take 20 – 40 grey wolves to start the process. This number would, within a couple of decades, grow to a sustainable population of around 250 wolves.
On a podcast with Tim Ferriss, Phillips said, “People embrace the mythical wolf. The real wolf is not even a shadow of its mythical self. … First and foremost, we know that gray wolves are not a threat to human safety. They just aren’t.” Phillips also said there was no divesting effects to livestock. “Wolf depredations on livestock do not represent a threat to the livestock industry. Depredation events are just too uncommon. For example, in Montana, with eight or nine hundred gray wolves on the ground in Montana, there’s about fifty head of cattle killed a year. Fifty head of cattle, out of over two million is not a threat to the industry” says Phillips. To see the full transcript of this podcast check out the Link.
In an excerpt taken from the Idaho Fish and Game Website that talks about wolves, and their impact on wildlife in Idaho. “Wolves prey upon deer and elk, as do other predators, but what has been the impact to our game herds? At the time wolves were released into Idaho, the elk herd in the Salmon Region numbered approximately 28,000 animals. The current estimate gained by aerial surveys and hunter harvest information is approximately 25,000. While this estimate is lower, it still exceeds the Elk Plan Objective by about 1,000 animals; all elk zones in the Region have generally been meeting plan objectives; and some high population units have deliberately been reduced through cow harvest to reach objectives.”
Currently there are groups working to gather signatures to get a ballot initiative in Colorado to re-introduce the grey wolf to Western Colorado. This issue could be presented to Colorado voters as soon as November 2020.
What are your thoughts on reintroducing wolves to the western Colorado Mountains? Is it a good idea or a bad idea? Will there be any impact to livestock or wildlife? Let us know your thoughts.
