Wolf species that has never been in Colorado can’t be “re-introduced”
Dear Editor,
This was printed in the latest NRA publication “AMERICAN HUNTER”:
“Three teenagers set up a hunting blind and decoys early in the morning on Sept. 21 in St. Germain, Wisconsin. As dawn broke, one of the teens thought he saw a deer coming near, but the animal turned out to be a wolf. That wolf was still about 40 yards away, but the teens quickly spotted another one very close behind them, and they realized they were surrounded by a pack. The oldest teen, a 19-year-old, got his gun ready and, when a wolf continued to approach and was 8-10 yards away, fired once and killed it. The wolf that had been behind the teens then circled around and dragged off the carcass. The teens immediately reported the incident to the Department of Natural Resources. Another hunter who’d been positioned in the area confirmed he’d seen at least nine wolves surrounding the teens.”
This is what could very well happen if we get many wolves in the area. I read in another publication that in rural areas of New Mexico, they have to build shelters for the school kids to occupy as they wait for the school bus. These shelters are to protect the kids from the Mexican Gray Wolf that is in that state.
It was a good and informative wolf meeting at the Fairfield Center last week. I get upset with the CPW, but their hands are tied and they are limited in what they can do or say because of our worthless governor and his “husband” or “wife”(?).
Kudos to our commissioners on standing up to the CPW and saying there will be no wolves released in Rio Blanco County.
I have a simple request of everyone — when talking about the wolf program, please call it an “introduction” and not a “reintroduction,” because the Canadian Gray Wolf was never here.
If you want to stay informed about what is going on in the wolf program, you can sign up online for the “Colorado Wolf Tracker.” You will have to answer a few questions and then you can see what is going on each day with the wolves.
Everyone get ready, because the wolf program is not going away and it is going to be a bumpy ride. Stay informed and don’t be afraid to speak your mind.
Claude Wood
Meeker
“ The gray wolf is native to Colorado but was eradicated from the state by the mid-1940s.
Colorado still has suitable habitat for wolves, including a sufficient prey base and extensive public land” (Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistance, 2020).
Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistance. (2020, May). Wolves in Colorado: History and Status – 8.007. Colorado State University. https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/people-predators/wolves-in-colorado-history-and-status-8-007/