I dont understand the hostility towards wolf reintroduction in Colorado

[5MilesBack]

Would you be OK if we reintroduced smallpox too? Why or why not?

 

[iamthenick]

Dawg i want peer reviewed scientific journals. Not some he said she said

 

[mjh]

In MN wolves were never killed off. While we don't have ballot box biology going on we still have wolf politics in MN. Somewhere between 200 and 300 wolves a year are trapped by government trappers every year in MN. Some compensation to livestock producers is offered IF proof of predation is there, BIG IF. The follow the science governor when it comes to covid will not follow the wildlife management science of a regulated hunting season. In northern MN where the core wolf population lives, between winters and wolves, and forest practices the whitetail deer population is currently low--I expect is will stay low. Where my mother in law has a cabin more central lakes area the deer population is ok, but with wolves in the area the behaviors do change. In the agricultural zones the deer population is just fine. Wolves a bit sparse in the ag zone north of the cities but there are some. IF the wolf population increase in this more populated area there will be more public pressure for a wolf hunt. People do shoot wolves and move on.
From a Colorado native who hasn't lived there in a long time but who still has family and is in the state yearly--can't believe how screwed up Colorado is now. Sure reintroduce wolves but have no way to manage the population considering the needs of the other populations effected. The whole state is regulated, from ag, to development, to forest practices, to ski resorts, to wildlife: to preclude wolves from management is all politics and not reality. And then the powers that be go against their own publicly published recommendations and bring in some wolves taken from packs that have preyed on domestic livestock. Way to go. Also good luck to the moose in Colorado. Such a successful reintroduction and all that time and money, but sorry, wolves are more important now. The only hope is that Colorado is so overcrowded now with humans, development, backcountry invasion's from the city dwellers, that the wolves will be pressured to keep moving and move on outta state. Can't wait to read the news stories of Fluffy being let out the door at the condo in Grand Lake and the horror of witnessing wolves rip apart and carry Fluffy off for a meal.

 

[DanimalW]

So there you have it. The hostile opinions have been shared. Literally every wildlife management group from neighboring states said this was a mistake and refused to provide Colorado with wolves. What does that tell you?

 

[Loo.wii]

Incidents of wolves approaching homes and killing dogs raise concerns in Cook County | WTIP

Sightings of wolves traveling through the Superior National Forest and roaming the Arrowhead region are a relatively common occurrence for many Cook County residents and visitors. In recent months, however, some sightings and incidents in Cook County have involved wolves approaching people’s...

wtip.org

wow its unbeleaveble that wolves eat things. of course is a terrible loss for families but i think its is part of life.

 

[Gman12]

This is a trainwreck on many different levels. What state allows the general public to vote on wildlife management or something as important as this for the wellbeing of the deer and elk populations within it's borders? This should have never been allowed to let some tree hugging kid in Denver living in his momma's basement playing video games for a living to have a say wildlife management.

Take the wildlife component out of the equation. You say ranchers will be compensated for their livestock losses by the government. Dealing with the government is the headache of all headaches and nothing but a fiasco. Have you been to DMV lately? Imagine all the hoops you would have to jump through to prove it was wolves that killed 10 of your calves. I can only imagine. There is good reason wolves were eradicated years ago.

 

[Loo.wii]

@Loo.wii Do you live in CO? For how long? Do you know anyone in rural areas that will very likely be negatively impacted by this INTRODUCTION?

I have lived in CO for just short of a year. my rural homies live on the plains. so i do not

 

[H2PVon]

lets do caribou and sage grouse too. im going to dig into this. In the most broad sense i think the ecology of the west pre western expansion is what i would want to re introduce. were caribou roaming the rockies at that point in history ?

But.....this is post western expansion.

 

[Loo.wii]

In 2022 Minnesota and Wisconsin released updated wolf plans, those links are easily searchable on this forum. Suggest reading those plans as the issues become readily apparent and are at root a rural vs urban conflict. If wolves aren’t in your backyard there is no problem. Reimbursement for livestock losses is discussed in the Minnesota plan, they honestly point out that payments are short term and the costs will eventually born entirely by the producers as the majority of the voting public live outside the range of the wolves and will not support an assistance program for the rural population.

ill look into that

 

[Loo.wii]

Since it appears that I have to choose one or the other, I guess I will choose ignorant.

lol i admit that i am ignorant on the topic

 

[Steve300xcw]

I have lived in CO for just short of a year.

How far east of CO were you before that?

 

[Walmart Greeter]

I say we introduce wolves, tigers, jaguars, elephants, barbary sheep, kudu, wildebeest, springbok, alligators, killer whales, zebra muscles, brook trout, liberals, ISIS, cheat grass, spotted owls, and everything else to every state and just see what takes and make it all fair game for hunting. The whole conservation ship sailed a long time ago.

 

[Loo.wii]

@Loo.wii
Try making a livelihood on raising cattle in wolf country. Once you start losing calves(paychecks) to wolves you will think otherwise. Yes, there are reimbursements available to lost livestock if its "proven" they were indeed killed by wolves which is a crap shoot. If I lose 20 calves a year due to wolf predation, I may get reimbursed for 10 of them if I'm lucky and the price they give you per calf is not even remotely close to what they are worth.

Then the state will want to use non-lethal ways to protect your livestock.
They'll suggest you move your herd closer to home.
Then they'll suggest a guard dog.
Then they'll recommend wolf proof fencing
Then they may trap & relocate a few wolves to become another rancher's problem.
Then if none of this works, they will hire the USDA to trap & kill problem wolves which is only a temporary fix until the next pack moves in.

Now I fully understand that this livestock depredation will not happen immediately in Colorado but it's coming down the tracks like a freight train and it can't be stopped now.

I appreciate this. i lacked this perspective..........

 

[Loo.wii]

How far east of CO were you before that?

however far DC is from here

 

[Steve300xcw]

That makes sense

 

[Beendare]

The main problem; Wolves are an uncontrollable predator that sucks F&G resources …versus having hunters effect that control which is a net positive in $$$ going in ( vs out with wolves) and families getting valuable protein sources.

Have you stopped to consider the economic and/or unintended consequences of wolf reintro? We know from The previous reintros its a Shit Show.

Wolves take up a massive amount of F&G budgets- leaving little for other species. The lawsuits by the Wolf lovers is enough to break the F&G- so they capitulate as they cannot afford to fight them. so essentially, wolves are not under F&G control- but by big money special interests. Get a clue.

Then, who pays for the destruction of livestock and lessened hunt season opportunities? It falls on taxpayer dollars ( and some wolf lovers) There is no denying, wolves are a big economic drag.

Now hunters on the other hand, are an economic bonanza. They not only pay for the tags but also bring in money to the local economy- restaurants, motels, food, gear, etc.

Its amazes me, the total ignorance of the Unintended Consequences by supposed scientific experts ( laugh) decisions. Fact; its NOT science based…its emotion. These hacks think, “ That would be cool to see a wolf”….Its as simple as that.

They literally intro Wolves to an area of high human population without a thought of the myriad of problems it will create And the massive $$$ it will take to solve them

 

[sveltri]

I have lived in CO for just short of a year. my rural homies live on the plains. so i do not

Unfortunately textual conversation doesn't provide intentional tone. I can't figure out if you're genuine or a troll. Not being one to give the benefit of doubt, I'll assume the later. I think you knew full well what you were doing with your initial post and came here to intentionally elicit a response from a majority of people who you knew had a differing opinion.

In the event you are genuine, try doing a little research (outside whatever educational media you have consumed to this point) and spend at least a few minutes trying to understand the other side

 

[Hnthrdr]

The what ifs kind of always crack me up. The folks that seemingly want to “re-wild” the west have zero clue what the “Wild West” was like even before “white European” settlement. How about I identify as a Cheyenne brave and me and 35 of my buddies get to act accordingly. They used to exist in this area. Shouldn’t I be allowed to raid boulder, count coup, take scalps, slaves, and riches for my tribe? War was a way of life for the plains Indians, read up on what the commanche, Lakota, Cheyenne, Apache did, sometimes peoples/ animals/ ways of life were changed or erased for a reason… although Co might be a better place to live if folks weren’t so disconnected from the real world and had to be prepared for an Apache or Ute raid every once and a while

 

[Loo.wii]

Would you be OK if we reintroduced smallpox too? Why or why not?

just do grizzles

 

[Loo.wii]

Unfortunately textual conversation doesn't provide intentional tone. I can't figure out if you're genuine or a troll. Not being one to give the benefit of doubt, I'll assume the later. I think you knew full well what you were doing with your initial post and came here to intentionally elicit a response from a majority of people who you knew had a differing opinion.

In the event you are genuine, try doing a little research (outside whatever educational media you have consumed to this point) and spend at least a few minutes trying to understand the other side

Im 100% genuine. though i do convey sarcasm very often.