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Colorado Parks & Wildlife says collared wolf located in Buena Vista area; no depredations reported
Summary
CPW reported a collared wolf’s GPS points in the Buena Vista area and urged producers and recreationists to engage with agency resources; officials said the animal is traveling alone, remains in national-forest areas, and has not been involved in depredations in Colorado to date.
A Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) representative told the Chaffee County commission on Jan. 9 that a collared wolf has recent GPS points in the Buena Vista area of Chaffee County but that CPW had recorded no confirmed depredations associated with this animal.
What CPW said: CPW staff explained that most wolves in the state are fitted with satellite collars and that location data are uploaded in intervals (a point every four hours, with satellite uplinks about every 16 hours). CPW cautioned that collars and satellite links can fail and that location data are dated — the feed shows where an animal has been, not where it will go. The most recent point CPW cited was at 12:06 a.m. on the meeting day and placed the animal in the Buena Vista area.
Behavior and risk: CPW said the animal appears to be traveling alone and largely using National Forest lands; the officer said that while wolves may occasionally take livestock, this particular animal had not been involved in depredation events in Oregon or Colorado to their knowledge. CPW noted the species faces natural mortality and risks on the landscape (mountain-lion predation, vehicle strikes, illegal shooting) and that the arrival of wolves will create both opportunities and management challenges.
Producer outreach and mitigation: CPW told commissioners that several producer-oriented programs will be available or are being developed — mitigation coordinators, compensation and mitigation programs, and targeted outreach — and that CPW can invite commissioners to producer briefings. CPW emphasized the need for local data collection and coordination so the county and state can track outcomes and demonstrate program benefits.
Public communications constraints: CPW staff said agency communications are sometimes constrained by internal policy and the timing of collar data; the representative said they were limited about what they could publicly confirm until supervisors authorized releases, creating a difficult balance when the public learns of an animal’s presence via social media before CPW can confirm it.
What to expect: CPW staff recommended continued outreach to livestock owners, preemptive mitigation where appropriate, and coordination of communications between CPW and county leaders. They said additional wolves are expected to arrive on the landscape in coming months as translocation and natural dispersal continue.
