Wolf Reintroduction Is About Driving Out Conservative Ranchers
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 2 months ago
News from Colorado. (via Insty)
Wolves and the rapid urbanization and exploding population of Colorado could test all of us to our limits. Ranchers already deal with a more crowded world on a daily basis, moving cattle on public roads and sharing trails with bikers and hikers. Nothing will hold back the tide of people moving to the Western Slope or the recreationalists escaping the Front Range.
Adding wolves to this crowded landscape could harm elk and deer populations. Mule deer have been declining since the 1970s. There have been serious declines in the elk cow/calf ratio in Southwestern Colorado, concerning Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Wolves prey on elk. As such, wolf reintroduction should not take place until studies, specific to western Colorado, can assess if deer and elk can survive the combined threats of wolves and humans, prior to a vote on reintroduction.
We have learned to coexist with bears, mountain lions, and coyotes, but even with coexistence strategies, wolves will be more challenging. Over time, wolves may colonize the entire state affecting many ranchers. Wolves could push us to the breaking point. As ranchers sell out, songbirds, raptors, and small mammals lose their homes. There is less local agriculture and important wildlife corridors are lost, further stressing elk and deer.
I have absolutely no intention of “coexisting with bears, mountain lions or coyotes.” I will not learn to do anything of the sort.
On August 25, 2020 at 1:14 pm, Lori G said:
Ranchers can’t coexist with mountain lions, coyotes or wolves. Black bears, yes, from my experience and for the most part, if you have dogs to keep the bears away. We have a small operation in northern Maine and we run 6 Ovcharkas with our livestock to counter predators. Sheep are especially at risk, but also calves and poultry will even get stolen by eagles if you don’t have dogs out with them. We even had a neighbor have a draft horse run to death by coyotes in broad daylight, and the owner had to fight them off the dead body with his tractor bucket. Our draft horses and adult cattle fight them off, but many livestock are not that way.
Coyotes and foxes do make nice coats and hats, however.
On August 25, 2020 at 3:18 pm, Ned2 said:
Make sure you gut shoot the things so they crawl off and die on someone else’s property.