CPW Wolf Management Plan has officially failed
Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced this week it was suspending the lethal take and removal of chronically depredating wolves.
Despite the fact that ranchers were vehemently against the planned “reintroduction” of wolves into Colorado, they were forced to accept their fate. They were told to use non-lethal deterrents like fladry and range riders to protect their herds and if they lost animals to wolf attacks, were compensated. The compensation unfortunately didn’t cover losses due to the added stress caused by the wolves that led to weight loss and pregnancy issues, but ranchers had to accept that as well.
“Colorado’s livestock producers have worked in good faith, invested in nonlethal tools, and done what this administration has asked of them. In return, we expect this administration to uphold its commitment to act when wolves repeatedly kill livestock,” said Mark LeValley, president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. “Lethal removal is a necessary part of wolf management and conflict management, and it must be used when wolves become chronically depredating. Suspending that tool leaves ranching families to bear the consequences and undermines the accountability this administration owes rural Colorado.”
Now the CPW, because it had to kill four wolves between Aug. 4 and Sept. 9, and has been unsuccessful in its efforts to find more wolves to bring into the state, has decided to completely destroy what little faith the ranchers in Colorado had that they would be treated fairly in this whole process.
As Bonnie Eddy, executive director of Colorado Wool Growers Association said “Since the inception of the wolf recovery planning process, the Colorado Wool Growers Association has strongly pushed for a reasonable definition of ‘self-sustaining’ wolf population. It’s shocking to see CPW abandon its landowner partners to capitulate to politics and jerk the rug out from under livestock producers that are experiencing ongoing wolf attacks on livestock. It’s been very obvious since the first wolf release that the efficacy of non-lethal deterrents is very limited.”
No doubt, this program has been tainted by politics and interference by Gov. Jared Polis and animal activists who are masquerading as wildlife biologists. This is why any efforts by ranchers to explain why it is not reasonable to bring wolves in and not expect them to prey on cattle have met deaf ears.
Now that they have thrown the ranchers under the bus, it will be harder than ever for them to work in good faith with the CPW in its wolf management efforts.
It’s time for the CPW and the governor to admit the experiment has failed and let wolves roam where they feel comfortable. If they end up in Colorado so be it. But let’s not drug them and move them here because we think they need to be here.
