\n
<\/p>\n
A wolf killed a rancher\u2019s calf on Tuesday morning in Grand County, Colorado, in the same area where 10 wolves were recently released as part of the state\u2019s reintroduction effort, a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife<\/a> announced. It was the first livestock depredation event to occur since the first release, which occurred over three months ago between Dec. 18 and 22.<\/p>\n CPW officers responded to the rancher\u2019s call that morning. After investigating the carcass and the scene around it, officers determined a wolf was the culprit. It is unclear how many wolves might have been involved, and the investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results of this investigation indicated wounds consistent with wolf depredation,\u201d CPW area wildlife manager Jeromy Huntington said. \u201cThe field investigation found multiple tooth rake marks on the calf\u2019s hindquarters and neck, and hemorrhaging under the hide, consistent with wolf depredation. Wolf tracks were also found nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n The identity of the rancher remains unavailable to the public. They requested not to be contacted, according to CPW. If they submit a claim for the loss to the state, they can receive fair market compensation for the calf up to $15,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n The incident only adds fuel to what is already an extremely hot fire in Colorado \u2014 hot enough to convince recently-appointed wildlife commissioner Gary Skiba to resign on March 7 before the state Senate could vote to confirm his appointment by Gov. Jared Polis. As Skiba writes in an op-ed<\/a> about his decision, he is a lifelong hunter and angler who worked as a state wildlife biologist for 24 years. But his stance as pro-wolf restoration was all it took for some hunting and conservation groups to paint him as an enemy, he claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the most common arguments against wolf reintroduction was that wolves were already repopulating parts of the state on their own. In 2019, one year before Colorado voters approved the controversial ballot<\/a> measure to reintroduce wolves, CPW announced the arrival of a collared female wolf from a Wyoming pack. That wolf stuck around Jackson County, where it found a mate and birthed a litter of pups in 2021. A spate of wolf depredations<\/a> on livestock followed later that year, including two attacks on the same ranch in Jackson County. <\/p>\n Read Next<\/strong>: 5 Wolves Released into Colorado Reintroduction Area<\/a><\/p>\n