JACKSON COUNTY, Colo. — Two domestic cows were attacked by wolves in Jackson County, and one cow had to be euthanized due to the injuries.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said it received a report of six wolves present on a ranch in Jackson County just after 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
District wildlife managers discovered two injured cows on the property in North Park.
They conducted a field investigation and found the wounds on the cows were consistent with wolf depredation and that scat was in the immediate vicinity of the injured cows.
Tuesday's attack, which was first reported by Steamboat Radio, happened on the same ranch as a previous incident when a 500 pound purebred replacement heifer was eaten by a wolf pack in December.
Just last week, a domestic dog was also killed in a wolf depredation incident in North Park.
Jackson County is home to a confirmed wolf pack, which CPW has said previously is from natural migration of wolves into the state and not as a result of mandated wolf reintroduction efforts from Proposition 114.
Last week the CPW Commission passed regulations on hazing for wolves that have naturally migrated into the state. CPW is working closely with the ranch to provide resources to minimize the likelihood of conflict or depredation as it works to create a statewide wolf restoration and management program as directed under Proposition 114.
Colorado has an existing depredation reimbursement fund that can be used for wolf depredation, and compensation is required by statute.
Gray Wolves remain a state endangered species, and wolves may not be taken for any reason other than self-defense. Illegal take of a wolf may result in a combination of penalties, including fines of up to $100,000, a year of jail time and a lifetime loss of hunting license privileges.