She was one of five gray wolves Wildlife officials released in a remote part of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains on Monday to kick off a voter-approved reintroduction program that was embraced in the state’s mostly Democratic urban corridor but staunchly opposed in conservative rural areas where ranchers worry about attacks on livestock.
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The wolves were released from cages at a Grand County location that the state government has kept secret from predators.
Wildlife officials release five gray wolves onto public land in Grand County, Colo. , on Dec. 18, 2023. The wolves were released to implement a voter-approved reintroduction program. (Colorado Natural Resources AP)
It ushered in the most ambitious wolf reintroduction effort in the United States in nearly three decades and a dramatic shift from competitive efforts across Republican-led states toward wolf packs. A ruling handed down last Friday denied a request by the state’s meat industry to temporarily delay the release.
The group watched as the first two wolves — 1-year-old male and female siblings with gray fur — were set free. The male bolted up the golden grass, running partially sideways to keep an eye on everyone behind, then turning left into the trees.
The crowd watched in silence, then some hugged each other and muffled murmurs erupted.
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When the latch on the second box was turned, the wolf moved. Everyone waited as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis peeked into the cage.
After about 30 seconds, those around the boxes moved away, making room for the wolf. The females slowly gave up and then jumped onto a snow-covered summit of the dirt road, before disappearing into an aspen forest.
Wolves “have larger-than-life places in human imagination, in the stories we all grew up with and tell each other,” said Polis. “To see them in their natural habitat, and turn around look curiously at us … is really, really a special moment that I will treasure for my entire life.”
The other 3 wolves released were a pair of 1-year-old brothers, as well as a 2-year-old male. All of the wolves were captured Sunday in Oregon.
When the last box was opened, the black-furred 2-year-old male ran out, past the onlookers and into the trees. He didn’t look back once.
When it all ended, a small round of applause broke out.
Colorado officials anticipate releasing 30 to 50 wolves within the next five years in hopes the program starts to fill in one of the last remaining major gaps in the western U.S. for the species. Gray wolves historically ranged from northern Canada to the desert southwest.
The planned release of carnivores in Colorado, approved in the 2020 election, has widened divisions between rural and urban citizens. Urban and suburban citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of the reintroduction of giant predators to rural areas, where their prey may come with the livestock that are helping to bring them to life. the local economy and big game hunting, such as elk, prized by hunters.
The reintroduction, which began with the release of 10 wolves in the following months, emerged as a political factor when GOP-governed Wyoming, Idaho and Montana refused to provide a percentage of their wolves for the effort. Colorado officials eventually turned to another Democratic state, Oregon, to protect the wolves.
Enthusiastic advocates have filed a contest to summon the wolves, but ranchers in the Rocky Mountains, where the releases will take place, are worried. They were given a glimpse of what the future might hold when a handful of wolves from Wyoming reach the afterlife. Two years ago they killed cattle.
The fear is such attacks will worsen, adding to a spate of perceived assaults on western Colorado’s rural communities as the state’s liberal leaders embrace clean energy and tourism, eclipsing economic mainstays such as fossil fuel extraction and agriculture.
To allay the fears of the cattle industry, ranchers who lose livestock or remain animals due to wolf attacks will be compensated at fair market value, up to $15,000 per animal.
Hunting teams have also expressed concern that wolves would reach the size of herds of elk and other big game that predators prey on.
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Meanwhile, Coloradans who supported reintroduction will have to get used to officials killing wolves that feed on livestock.
Some wolves have already been killed on their journey from Colorado to Wyoming, which has a “predatory” domain for wolves that covers most of the state where they can be shot as soon as they see them.
Joanna Lambert, a professor of ecology and conservation biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, said she gasped when she saw wolves galloping through the woods on Monday.
For years, Lambert and wolf advocates have been racing to get wolves to “put their paws on the ground” and “all of a sudden, it happened. “
“This is a time of rebuilding,” Lambert said, “to do anything to avoid the biodiversity extinction crisis we find ourselves in. “