Colorado Parks and Wildlife Release Five Gray Wolves into Grand County and Not Everyone is Happy About It

Colorado Parks and Wildlife released five gray wolves from Oregon, three males and two females, into Grand County yesterday. This after more than three years of statewide stakeholder meetings and public hearings. Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho declined to donate wolves to the effort.

Last Friday, a lawsuit filed by the cattle industry to delay the re-introduction was thwarted by a judge. Federal data suggests that wolf reintroduction has positive effects on the ecosystem as a keystone species, but it's a highly controversial topic among ranchers. Hunters, too, have expressed concerns that wolves will have a negative effect on other wildlife populations.

The gray wolf in Colorado is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and state law. Killing one in Colorado is punishable by a $100,000 fine and even a year in prison, however there are special exemptions that were finalized this month that allow certain wolves to be killed if they are deemed a threat to livestock.

Currently Colorado Parks and Wildlife plan to release 10 to 15 wolves every year for the next three to five years to stabilize a population near 50. If the wolf population exceeds 200, they might be legally hunted, which states like Wyoming already allow.