By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice
The results of reintroduction of gray wolves into western areas of Colorado is drawing the ire of many Republican members of the State Legislature, several of whom earn a living from livestock.
Like other livestock raisers, they term the reintroduction ill-conceived and poorly implemented.
This week, Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials announced four more head of cattle were killed in Grand County, where previous depredation has occurred.
“These are the days that Western Slopers feared with wolf reintroduction,” said Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta. “Wolves are serial killers and will devastate the West Slope ranching, hunting and outdoor recreation economies. We should cease reintroduction now before the damages are irreparable.”
Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials have announced three cases of livestock being attacked and killed on the Western Slope since wolves were released early this year.
“It’s obvious this wasn’t well thought through – this being the third attack,” said Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, who also serves the Western Slope of the state. “We, as a state, need to take a harder look at what we are doing with wolves in the future. The state of Colorado needs to work with these livestock owners and get them paid as quickly as we can.”
Developing a fair market value price on a calf could be difficult, says Robin Varelman, owner of Livestock Exchange in Brush, Colorado. She points out the calf killed could have a market value, based on present selling price, well below the value the calf could have in a 12-year production cycle. A two-week-old calf might have a weight of 80 to 110 pounds, she says.
“How do you determine a value of that?” Varelman asks. “Was the calf going to be a bull or a heifer to build your herd over the next decade?”
Those who supported the reintroduction are not those who bear the greatest burden when the wolves depredate other animals.
“The amount of predation caused by 10 wolves in four months is unacceptable to the livestock community and unsustainable for our state,” Sen. Cleave Simpson said. “There is no viable path forward for a sustainable wolf population in Colorado.”
Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, raises cattle and operates a feedlot in Washington County, located in Eastern Colorado. He has consistently opposed the reintroduction of wolves in support of Western Slope ranchers.
“Cattle ranchers and their livestock are in the crosshairs of these killers,” he said. “Front Range urbanites voted for this, and now rural ranchers are being victimized, and innocent cattle are being killed.”
A bill was debated in the Colorado Legislature, which would have made it more difficult for ranchers to recover losses from killed livestock. Republicans opposed the bill and helped defeat it, Wellington Republican Mike Lynch says.
“Thankfully, our ranchers who were victimized by these attacks will be able to get some compensation to cushion the blow,” he said.
Rep. Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, who represents ranchers in the southeast area of the state, is critical of the bill which perhaps most defines the rural-urban divide in the state.
“The decision made by voters who do not suffer the consequences of wolf reintroduction, is devastating for those who do not live in the Denver metro area,” he said. “Those who voted in favor of this initiative must remember their tax dollars will be used as compensation for livestock lost due to this measure.”
Added Republican Sen. Perry Will of New Castle: “I hate to say I told you so. The professionals predicted all of this and what we are experiencing is only the tip of the iceberg! Look at the issues we are having with just 10 wolves on the ground, just wait! Couldn’t have driven a bigger wedge into the rural-urban divide.”