Did someone forget to tell the Wolves?

[BritKLR]

LOL/FWIW.....We live up outside Nederland in unincorporated Boulder County/Park land/NF land and received a neighborhood text that a gray wolf was spotted in the immediate area. I haven't seen it or any tracks yet (migration routes goes through our property so we get a-lot of mountain lion tracks, etc..) but, it may appear the recently released wolves forgot to read the "Ops Plan" to stay in northern Colorado.

Now, this post is meant to be kinda funny and based on a decade of mountain neighborhood (Danger, danger!) texts that turn out to be nothing so, I'd take this with a grain salt since it could just be another loose or dumped big dog.....time will tell.

 

[nakman]

ha! weren't they released over in Grand County? so really just a mountain or two away... heck there's a trail in the park they could have used.

edit: also did the wolves all have collars on? serious question.. like the ones in Yellowstone

 

[gr8fulabe]

https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Wolves-Activity-Map.aspx#:~:text=Colorado%20Parks%20and%20Wildlife's%20%E2%80%8B,been%20in%20the%20past%20month.

There are three wolf sanctuaries up here, one that is being forced to shut down. It’s pretty plausible that it is a wolf or wolf/dog hybrid from one of those since they are on this side of the divide.

 

[shellb]

https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Wolves-Activity-Map.aspx#:~:text=Colorado%20Parks%20and%20Wildlife's%20%E2%80%8B,been%20in%20the%20past%20month.

There are three wolf sanctuaries up here, one that is being forced to shut down. It’s pretty plausible that it is a wolf or wolf/dog hybrid from one of those since they are on this side of the divide.

They cover an amazing amount of ground!

 

[Corbet]

They are going to go where they want to go. I'm pretty confident many will get shot. I'm just happy they have been releasing them up there close to all the voters who wanted them. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see our ecosystem back to what it was 200 years ago but Colorado is simply too overpopulated to do it. Our elk down here have a rough enough time avoiding people.

 

[NotyourmomsWife]

Unfortunately it was most likely someone’s Wolfdog that had escaped….

Pretty sure if someone saw my guy out they’d think the same thing….

 

[Corbet]

Yah, most couldn't tell the difference between a wolf, coyote, or dog

 

[NotyourmomsWife]

Also I don’t think people realize just how big wolves actually are…. My dogs foot prints are as big as the my hand just a bout a wolf print would be even larger

 

[Corbet]

yah a mature adult wolf would dwarf my 100lb Malamute

 

[adamsfly]

About 25 years ago I was driving up 70 to go fishing and around the fall river exit there was a huge furry animal, dead, against the jersey barrier. I said to my buddy, "whoa! did you see that thing?" It looked like a gigantic dog and thought maybe wolf but at that time there weren't supposed to be any here.. Well, later I discovered it was a wolf that wondered down from Yellowstone.

 

[J Kimmel]

They are going to go where they want to go. I'm pretty confident many will get shot. I'm just happy they have been releasing them up there close to all the voters who wanted them. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see our ecosystem back to what it was 200 years ago but Colorado is simply too overpopulated to do it. Our elk down here have a rough enough time avoiding people.

1st release was pretty close to us here. I’m excited to see them wander east to visit their fervent supporters.

 

[NotyourmomsWife]

ha! weren't they released over in Grand County? so really just a mountain or two away... heck there's a trail in the park they could have used.

edit: also did the wolves all have collars on? serious question.. like the ones in Yellowstone

The ones that were released recently were all collared just like the Yellowstone wolves and tgey are also equally protected as Yellowstone wolves. I really can’t believe the amount of people I’ve seen say “if I see one I’ll shoot it” morons 🙄

 

[LARGEONE]

They are going to go where they want to go. I'm pretty confident many will get shot. I'm just happy they have been releasing them up there close to all the voters who wanted them. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see our ecosystem back to what it was 200 years ago but Colorado is simply too overpopulated to do it. Our elk down here have a rough enough time avoiding people.

Unfortunately they are releasing them in areas where nearly no one wanted them. I wish they would release them in Boulder and Denver where all of the wolf experts reside!

 

[Corbet]

Well from my perspective they are way closer to the experts than they would be if released out here. But yah, the reality is that nearly everyone who lives in wolf habitat knew it was a bad idea. But Denver metro voted this decision on rural CO.

 

[LARGEONE]

Don’t speak too soon. I don’t think they are done yet!

They could have at least waited until the elk population recovered from the massive winter kill off last year!

 

[Corbet]

Oh I realize the Weminuche Wilderness area is the most logical place to put them in CO.

 

[LARGEONE]

View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1FhXkMJy-5/?igsh=MWoydHI1Nzd4ajgxNg%3D%3D


A little humor on the subject

 

[Corbet]

 

[BritKLR]

 

[DaveInDenver]

Preface to say that I don't fall super strongly either way and I am an unabashed omnivore. But it seems that grey wolves are acknowledged to have widely ranged in Colorado a century ago.



Cary, M. 1911. A Biological Survey of Colorado. North American Fauna No. 33. Government Printing Office

A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF COLORADO

meridian.allenpress.com

Wolves were eradicated by ranchers and hunters for their reasons. I don't judge the logic, wolves are obviously competition.

But I think it's probably not all that controversial to suggest that killing so many bison, wolves and other species hasn't been our best moment in trying for a little harmony with nature.

So can I ask people to explain why we should or should not oppose reintroduction of wolves? Not emotional, Little Red Riding Hood was killed by a big, bad wolf nonsense. But actual reasons.

I know ranchers want no predators but if there's a cost to be borne by losing a few head there's worse subsidies and pork barrels filled by dump trucks of public money and compensating ranchers is barely a briefcase full. They already have hundreds of millions of acres of BLM land they lease at under market rates (compared to private silage farming). I'm not ignorant to the economic reality that meat comes with costs. You either hunt or ranch it and that ain't free.