Another one bites the dust: dead transplanted wolf in Colorado

[elkduds]

Oops, bad link. See link in post #3 below, thanks to @Bluffgruff

 

[Dave N]

Bad link.

 

[Bluffgruff]

Another gray wolf relocated to Colorado has died, bringing the total to 11 of 25 brought to state

Female’s cause of death hasn’t been determined; latest incident calls survival rate for reintroduction program into question

coloradosun.com

 

[Mallardsx2]

winning.

 

[BrentD]

Losing.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Laughing.

 

[R.K.]

Crying about the funding they stole to do this. Glad it's failing, sad we had to be the ones to pay for it, sad that wildlife are the ones paying the price.

 

[elkduds]

Ugly ironies: the wolf advocates barely convinced CO voters to "save" wolves by relocating them from their homes, knowing many would die in the process. Polis overriding CPW's professionals who opposed wolf reintro, knowing wolves in CO would regularly kill wildlife. Polis' motives were political and personal to his husband. Wolves were already finding their way into CO @ no cost to taxpayers, for their own wolf reasons.

I will be asking candidates for Gov. about their plans for wolf reintro. Please join me, let's see if we can get this on their radar.

 

[RG300]

i do not feel sorry for the wolf, ELK & Deer ? yes.....not the wolf..... at all!!!

 

[elkduds]

i do not feel sorry for the wolf, ELK & Deer ? yes.....not the wolf..... at all!!!

Why, what's the difference?

 

[RG300]

Why, what's the difference?

The wolves put more hunting pressure on the deer & elk.

 

[nrpate05]

The wolves put more hunting pressure on the deer & elk.

So do the nonresidents

 

[appaloosa]

So basically, wild wolves sometimes die in the wild? Cool story...

 

[elkduds]

The wolves put more hunting pressure on the deer & elk.

As @nrpate05 notes, there are far greater issues for big game than predators. Habitat loss, development, CWD, hunting pressure, grazing, extractive industries, motorized and hiking recreation in calving areas, expanding road and trail networks into habitat, shrinking riparian and wetlands. Plus, wolves are an opportunity for hunters in many states.

Per AI: Yes, predators like wolves and mountain lions can help fight Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) by selectively hunting sick animals, reducing the duration of infectiousness, and potentially destroying prions during digestion, though they also pose a risk of spreading prions through their feces and carcasses. Predators can slow CWD's spread and lower its prevalence by removing infected individuals and reducing overall deer/elk density, acting as "CWD border guards".

Wolves aren't all bad or all good, just predators that evolved in an environment people are rapidly compromising. Most biologist equate the health of wild ecosystems to the presence of animal predators. My opposition to CO wolf reintro is much more about putting wolves in a state that won't tolerate them for political, not biological reasons, than about how many elk an artificially maintained population of 100 wolves will deprive hunters of in CO. IMO, those wolves could mostly make their living scavenging game wounded and unrecovered by hunters. Of course they won't when sheep and beef calves are readily available. Should we first damage wildlife when trying to solve problems people create? Emphatically, no.

 

[RG300]

So do the nonresidents

at least the non residents are paying for it, at least the ones that can afford it for now anyway.....

 

[Bonasababy]

How does a wolf die in a foothold trap? Unless it was followed up with a gun? And is that ok there?