Caring for Red Wolves, an iconic American species

From thesubtimes.com:

Beep. Beep. Beep. The heart monitor and other monitoring devices hum as veterinary professionals work in rhythm caring for their VIPs — very important patients, that is.

On the exam table in the veterinary clinic lies Terra, who is under anesthesia. The 8-year-old American Red Wolf has inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, a disease that’s common in people, pets and Red Wolves. The veterinary team has been researching IBD in Red Wolves for many years and is continually investigating innovative ways to treat it.

The team, led by Point Defiance Zoo’s Head Veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf (yes, that’s her real name), is doing annual exams on 10 wolves over three days. The wolves live at the Tacoma zoo’s off-site breeding facility in Eatonville, Washington. Each exam averages about two hours.

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Decision on citizen petition to halt wolf introductions is still pending as CPW staff work on a recommendation

From Vail Daily:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is asking for patience as it reviews a petition submitted by 26 groups asking the state to pause its next release of wolves.

In October, this group of rancher organizations petitioned Colorado Parks and Wildlife, asking the agency’s commission to stop reintroduction efforts for gray wolves until more tools are fully implemented to reduce conflict with livestock.

“You are not required to introduce wolves at a certain pace, you were only required to introduce wolves by Dec. 31, 2023. You have done that,” said Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, one of the 26 organizations listed on the petition. “Now your mandate is to adaptively manage wolves. This means you should be willing to change your approach to address issues as they arise.”

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Environmentalists concerned after protected Mexican wolf dies in Arizona

From APNews:

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A federally protected female Mexican wolf was found dead in an area near the northern Arizona city of Flagstaff, alarming environmentalists who worry someone may have deliberately killed the animal.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department announced in a joint statement Friday that the animal known to biologists as Mexican wolf F2979 was found dead on Nov. 7. It was located outside the boundaries established along the Arizona-New Mexico border for managing the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America.

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Rio Blanco County won’t see wolves in next release as CPW commissioners petitioned to pause reintroduction

From The Colorado Sun:

Two days after announcing it chose four counties for the next wave of wolf reintroduction set to begin in December, Colorado Parks and Wildlife pulled Rio Blanco County from the list, citing the high number of sheep in the area, along with concerns about winter elk habitat and proximity to the Utah and Wyoming borders.

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California’s gray wolf population grows: Two new packs detected in state bringing total to 71

From newsbreak.com:

California’s gray wolf population has grown, with a new report from state wildlife officials revealing the presence of a previously unidentified pack. The “Diamond Pack,” which includes at least two wolves, has been confirmed in eastern Plumas and southern Lassen counties. Additionally, another unclassified pack is roaming the shared boundaries of Shasta, Lassen, Tehama, and Plumas counties. This brings the state’s total to at least 71 wolves across nine packs and four smaller groups.

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Petition to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to delay next wolf introduction could take months

From Colorado Politics:

The petition to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to delay the next round of wolf introductions isn’t going anywhere — not anytime soon.

The agency’s process allows staffers to make a recommendation on whether the rules changes sought in the petition should go forward.

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State wildlife commission approves new wolf trapping regulations

From Montana Public Radio:

In Ravalli County, trappers no longer have to set their snares and traps a certain distance away from roads that are closed during the winter — except for four roads identified as major recreation areas, including Skalkaho Pass Road.

Region 2 Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jeff Burrows, proposed the changes. In Tuesday’s commission meeting, he said trappers in the Bitterroot needed more opportunities to set traps to make up for the now shorter season.

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Wildlife, Including Wolf, Cause Challenges for Colorado Ranchers

From dtnpf.com:

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) — Awareness has elevated at Silver Spur Ranch Kiowa Creek division, as a wolf caught by a licensed trapper on their ranch this spring makes them even more aware of what lurks in the woods.

This wolf, of the Great Lakes population, has different genetics than those which were released in late 2023 in north-central Colorado following the passage of Proposition 114 in November 2020.

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CPW names counties it is considering for this winter’s gray wolf reintroduction and meets with county leaders

From denver7.com:

UPDATE | Nov. 14 — Colorado Parks and Wildlife updated its list of potential counties to release wolves this winter as part of the voter-mandated reintroduction process. The counties currently being considered are Garfield County, Eagle County, and Pitkin County.

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Petition requests hiatus in $5M wolf release program

From thefencepost.com:

Middle Park Stockgrowers Association president Tim Ritschard is on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission agenda on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 11:10 a.m. with a request for citizen petition for rulemaking. The petition is signed by 26 of the state’s agriculture organizations, including Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Club 20, and Colorado Wool Growers Association as well as several local livestock and stockgrowers associations. The petition seeks to delay any further introductions of gray wolves into the state until Colorado’s wolf management program can adequately address the conflicts between wolves and livestock producers. CPW has announced its intention to introduce wolves this coming winter in the same northwest Colorado location as the December 2023 introduction.

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