Colorado used to be home to thousands of wolves. They once occupied every county in the state, but by 1945 they had been extirpated. In 2021 a pair of wild wolves living in North Park became the first wolves to give birth in Colorado since then. In 2020, Proposition 114 on the ballot passed and instructed Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce wolves to western Colorado before the end of 2023. This plan is moving forward even with the small population living in North Park. Living with wolves presents new challenges for Coloradans who have been comfortable living without them for generations. ​

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Concern #1 - Wolf Attacks on People

Resolutions: Wolf attacks on humans are exceedingly rare in North America and are typically not fatal when they do occur. Yellowstone National Park sees an average of 4.25 million visitors a year and typically has a wolf population that hovers around 100 animals. In the nearly 30 years since wolves were reintroduced there, there has not been any negative wolf encounters and wildlife services have only had to lethally remove two wolves that had become so habituated to people that they did not respond to hazing.  Wolves also occupy other heavily populated states like Minnestoa and Wisconsin and are even recolonizing parts of California, yet they still do not tend to attack people. If you do encounter a wolf, they most likely will run away from you. It is always best to be prepared for unusual situations though, so make sure to keep an eye on the wolf or wolves, walk (do not run) in the opposite direction, and carry bear spray just in case. Do not feed or harass wildlife and do not approach wolf pups. 

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Concern #2 - Wolf Attacks on Livestock

Resolutions: Keeping small livestock like poultry safe is similar to keeping poultry safe from large carnivores like bears.  wolves don't commonly try to actively break into coops, but it has happened in places like Wyoming and Oregon. You'll want to make sure you have your chicken coop secured with strong chain link or cattle panel fencing.

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Sheep, goats, calves, and other medium livestock on small family farms can be kept safe by being brought into a barn at night. If that is not an option, electric fencing, fladry, and fox lights can be used to help scare off wolves. Fladry is flagging on a single piece of wire that can be placed on the outside of a pasture. Wolves do get used to fladry if it is left on for too long or not changed in any way so it must be used sparingly.  Livestock guardian dogs and/or donkeys can also be used on smaller ranches. 

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Livestock on open range presents different challenges to coexistence than smaller farms. Calves are most vulnerable to predators. During calving season it is best to bring cows and calves in to pastures that are easier to monitor and deploy the same methods listed for smaller farms. Some ranches are thousands of acres and many livestock producers also lease land in National Forests to graze their herds. It can be difficult to fully monitor livestock on large acreage, but keeping a rider with the herd does greatly reduce livestock loss. Frequently moving the herd to different pastures and areas can also help prevent losses due to increased human presence and because it makes it harder for the wolves to know where the cattle might be located. 

 

One key to preventing wolf depredation is the prompt removal of carcasses. Sometimes cattle die from disease or injury when out on range. While not every animal will be located by the rancher it is important for those that are found to be removed and buried in a pit. Wolves that scavenge the remains of cattle are more likely to depredate in the future. 

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife has guidelines for livestock producers for hazing wolves as well as additional tips for coexistence available on their website which can be found in the external resources below.

 

One key take away is that only 17% of wolf packs are ever involved in a depredation though it's estimated that 100% of wolf packs in the west overlap with cattle at some point.   

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Concern #3 - Wolf Attacks on Pets

Resolution: Wolves may attack off leash dogs or dogs that are left unattended and chained outside. Like coyotes, wolves do not recognize dogs as domestic pets. They perceive them as just another canine that is a threat to their territory or offspring and they will defend them, even if your dog is not a real threat. Keeping dogs on short leashes while hiking or having them well trained to recall instantly is important. It's unlikely that wolves will attack pet dogs within urban areas or yards with high fences, but in rural areas where wolves may occasionally wander through it is important to keep dogs in secure yards and not tied out unattended. A wolf can easily climb a 6 foot fence so utilizing coyote rollers will help prevent this, though it is unlikely that they would climb a fence to harm a dog. 

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