From The Denver Post:
Colorado ranchers are urging state wildlife officials to define what constitutes a wolf that chronically hunts livestock and to kill or remove a wolf that has killed several cattle in Grand County.
A wolf killed or injured seven cattle along the Williams Fork of the Colorado River near Kremmling between April 2 and May 11, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials have declined to kill the wolf citing, in part, evidence that the wolf is part of a breeding pair that likely has pups.
“If this ain’t chronic depredation, what is?” Conway Farrell, who has lost six cattle to the wolf, asked Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners during an hours-long meeting on wolf control Thursday.
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Third endangered red wolf since September hit by a vehicle and killed on U.S. 64
From Public Radio East:
An endangered red wolf was hit by a vehicle and killed on U.S. 64 earlier this month.
Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say the wolf was killed on June 5 near Buffalo Road; it is the third endangered wolf killed on the road since September.
The wild population of red wolves live on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County.
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Michigan’s wolf population at its highest in 12 years, survey finds
From AOL:
(FOX 2) – Michigan’s gray wolf population rose by 131 animals over the past two years and the state’s species is estimated to be at its highest in 12 years.
The Department of Natural Resources released its wolf survey numbers this week, showcasing that a minimum of 762 inhabit the Upper Peninsula as of 2024. The figures reveal a stable population that has reached its “biological carrying capacity” in the U.P., the DNR’s large carnivore specialist said.
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Watch: Yellowstone elk turns tables on wolf after stirring chase
From Yahoo News:
A Wyoming-based guide has captured dramatic footage showing an elk running for its life while being chased by a wolf in Yellowstone National Park.
Bo Welden’s footage (posted below) begins with text informing viewers to prepare for an “expected outcome.”
While that’s a vague hint of what’s to come, viewers can see from the outset that this is an emergency situation for a cow elk that appears to be on her own.
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New DNR survey shows stable wolf population in Michigan’s U.P., survey planned for L.P.
From Midland Daily News:
A new survey from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimated that the state’s wolf population is the highest it has been since the start of its semiannual surveys in 2012.
The DNR shared the 2024 winter wolf population survey results Thursday, explaining it found a minimum of 762 wolves in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This year’s estimate showed an increase of 131 animals compared to the 2022 estimate of 631; however, the results demonstrate a continued trend of statistical stability in Michigan’s wolf population, according to a press release.
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Are Colorado’s reintroduced wolves having pups? Signs point to yes
From Fox31:
DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is tracking what biologists believe is a wolf den in Colorado, although they have not seen the pups yet or the actual den itself.
However, officials also believe this is the only den active this year, according to statements made during a Thursday Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. CPW is tracking the reintroduced wolves through GPS collars, and one of the female wolf’s movements has been “typical for a denning female.”
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When should a cattle-killing wolf be put down? Colorado wildlife officials punt question to new advisory group
From The Denver Post:
Colorado ranchers are urging state wildlife officials to define what constitutes a wolf that chronically hunts livestock and to kill or remove a wolf that has killed several cattle in Grand County.
A wolf killed or injured seven cattle along the Williams Fork of the Colorado River near Kremmling between April 2 and May 11, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials have declined to kill the wolf citing, in part, evidence that the wolf is part of a breeding pair that likely has pups.
“If this ain’t chronic depredation, what is?” Conway Farrell, who has lost six cattle to the wolf, asked Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners during an hours-long meeting on wolf control Thursday.
Click here for the full story.
No charges in killing of gray wolf in southern Michigan. Experts stumped about how it got there.
From WNEM5:
Wildlife experts have hit a dead end in their quest to determine how a gray wolf arrived in southern Michigan for the first time in more than 100 years.
The wolf was killed in January by a hunter who told investigators that he had mistaken it for a coyote. It was a shock: While gray wolves are common in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — the latest estimate is more than 700 — the state’s southern Lower Peninsula doesn’t offer the proper habitat.
“We just don’t know how it got there,” Brian Roell, wolf expert at the state Department of Natural Resources, said.
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DNR: U.P. wolf population likely at ‘carrying capacity’
From WoodTV8:
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The latest survey from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimates that the state’s wolf population is the highest it has been since the start of its semiannual surveys.
The 2024 winter wolf population survey estimates at least 762 wolves across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, up from 631 in 2022 and fairly consistent with the estimates over the last several years.
“This year’s survey findings are statistically consistent with our wolf population surveys for the past 14 years,” DNR large carnivore specialist Brian Roell said in a statement.
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Officials confirm another wolf depredation in Jackson County
From The Aspen Times:
Another calf was killed by a wolf or wolves in Jackson County. This latest depredation occurred June 9.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently updated the wolf depredation page on its website to reflect this information. Since the beginning of 2024, CPW has confirmed that 11 cattle have been killed by wolves. These depredations all occurred in Grand or Jackson counties.
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Idaho advocates worry about politicization of endangered species
From KTVB:
IDAHO, USA — This story originally appeared in The Idaho Press.
Snakes. Bears. Fish. Wolves. Whatever they may be, almost every state’s endangered species work is done by an independent state department.
But in Idaho, the Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation (OSC) is a subsidiary in Gov. Brad Little’s office — squarely in the hands of the governor.
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