Colorado rancher asks state to remove wolves after latest attack on his livestock

JACKSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado rancher is asking the state to remove the wolves that injured and killed his cattle.

Last week, longtime rancher Don Gittleson found his calf attacked in Jackson County.

“As soon she got up, I knew what the problem was,” Gittleson said. 

After investigating, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed to FOX31 that they found wounds consistent with wolf depredation.

Gittleson said this is now the seventh of his livestock CPW found to be attacked by wolves over the last two years.

“Seven that were confirmed,” Gittleson said. “We’ve had some that either disappeared or they didn’t confirm them that I feel that the wolves did. I think getting something confirmed is not quite as easy as people might think.”

Wolves naturally migrated to Colorado

Gittleson thinks a male wolf from the North Park pack of wolves, which naturally migrated to Colorado a couple of years ago, is responsible for most of the attacks, based on GPS data from the wolf’s collar.

“He was in the vicinity of the last one,” Gittleson said. “A lot of the others, his collar put him in the area. But they don’t use the collar to confirm that he did the depredation.”

Gittleson has reached out to CPW for clarification surrounding the new Endangered Species Act rules for removing wolves in Colorado. He also put in a request that CPW take action after this latest attack.

“I sent them a letter, asking for their removal,” Gittleson said. “In Colorado, they don’t have a definition for what a problem wolf or a problem pack of wolves is. With a definition, you do have a clear, really clear idea of when they become a problem, and it was something that I pushed to get.”

FOX31 reached out to CPW about Gittleson’s request to remove the wolves injuring and killing his cattle. Any response will be added here.