# Wolves are being reintroduced to Colorado **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2023, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824 "2023-12-19T12:32:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/1 "2023-12-19T12:32:47Z")
I’ve visited a couple of wolf sanctuaries, and although it’s a far cry from seeing one in the wild, it was an amazing (and slightly frightening experience). Sitting around a fire pit, with a full moon and howls going up all around us…whew. Hopefully, they flourish and stay far away from places where they might be shot. > **[5 wolves released in Colorado as part of reintroduction plan](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/5-wolves-released-colorado-part-reintroduction-plan-rcna130373)** > > The carnivores’ planned release in Colorado, voted for in a 2020 ballot measure, has sharpened divides between rural and urban residents. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/2 "2023-12-19T13:08:48Z")
Summit County (where I live) borders Grand county. We are on the very most southern part and Grand is to the north. This concerns me a little bit. We have Moose and bears wandering through our yard. Seen some coyote as well (mostly we just hear them). Have to be cautious when we walk the dogs. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/3 "2023-12-19T14:04:00Z")
If you’re used to dealing with (I’m assuming black?) bears, and even more so with moose (meese?) then friggin’ wolves should be NBD. They tend to be rather wary of humans, unlike the ^^ which sometimes are … not. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/4 "2023-12-19T15:06:56Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > They tend to be rather wary of humans, unlike the ^^ which sometimes are … not. Bears are rather timid. But when they just sit down and watch your house, it’s a little intimidating. Bears have broken into our cars a number of times. Luckily no damage but a little scratched paint. If they don’t leave and continue to case the house I fire a revolver into the ground. The noise scares them off. Moose is a whole 'nother situation. When an animal is not afraid of anything, there is a reason for that. They keep to themselves, and we don’t intrude while they are munching on our ‘lawn’ Wolves are pack animals. And hunters. I’ve read stories of people hiking that get surrounded by a pack. That could be bad news. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/5 "2023-12-19T15:39:33Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Wolves are pack animals. And hunters. I’ve read stories of people hiking that get surrounded by a pack. That could be bad news. I thought that there were no confirmed cases of an unprovoked wolf attack on humans in North America. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/6 "2023-12-19T16:11:48Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > I thought that there were no confirmed cases of an unprovoked wolf attack on humans in North America. We’ve had wolves in my area for quite a while now and I haven’t heard of any issues with them unless you are a cow or sheep. Cougars and grizzlies are the problems. Well, mountain goats can be problematic too. I had to flee the top of a Cabinet Mountain peak due to two aggressive goats that wanted salt. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/7 "2023-12-19T16:17:52Z")
Very few, but a few: > **[List of wolf attacks in North America | Fatal attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks_in_North_America#Fatal_attacks)** > > Below is an amalgamated list of verified, questionable and unverified attacks. Basically only 2 wild wolf attacks in the last 80 years. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/8 "2023-12-19T16:24:14Z")
Quite a difference from the bear and cougar pages. BTW, I wanted to see if mountain goats had killed more than the one guy in the Olympics (I think that might be the only mountain goat death), I found this funny page about goat trauma: [https://www.goat-trauma.org/](https://www.goat-trauma.org/) ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/9 "2023-12-19T16:33:10Z")
If the wolf reintroduction is successful, they may keep the coyote population down. As long as there is sufficient prey for them, they should prefer hunting to interaction with humans, and these wolves will be actively monitored and managed as necessary. Colorado Parks & Wildlife has an [FAQ page](https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Wolves-in-Colorado-FAQ.aspx#:~:text=The%20page%20will%20be%20updated,later%20than%20December%2031%2C%202023.)addressing some of the concerns. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/10 "2023-12-19T17:00:33Z")
OK. Maybe I’m thinking about coyote attacks. And cougars/mountain lions are a bit of a different story. Think they keep their distance though unless they are hungry and possibly injured. Never seen the cat. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/11 "2023-12-19T17:28:32Z")
Was that the peak that is like a 4 mile hike straight up and there’s a sign to the effect of “Don’t let the goats lick you”? The descent killed us. Could barely walk for a day. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/12 "2023-12-19T18:05:42Z")
Ha! Scotchman Peak. And yes, that was the one and it is a knee killer. The goats are very used to people since that is the most popular peak around. I’ve been to the top of many other Cab peaks and not had an issue with goats. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/13 "2023-12-19T18:41:29Z")
About a third of the way down we ran into a USFS woman in her mid-twenties in full sawyer kit with a Stihl 440 on her shoulder. That was humbling. Awesome views! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/14 "2023-12-19T18:47:47Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Basically only 2 wild wolf attacks in the last 80 years. So, domestic dogs are, statistically, FAR more dangerous to humans than wild wolves: > Every year, an estimated 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the United States > > Dog bite incidents are not a small problem. In fact, an estimated 4.5 million people annually sustain a bite from a canine.[¹](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/#sources) > > While some of these bites may be nothing more than minor nips, an estimated 800,000 people each year must seek medical attention after a bite.[¹](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/#sources) - [SOUCRE](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/15 "2023-12-19T20:41:02Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > a USFS woman in her mid-twenties in full sawyer kit with a Stihl 440 I kept reading this as USAF and googling “military sawyer kit” with the assumption that a Stihl was some kind of weapon. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wolves-are-being-reintroduced-to-colorado/994824/16 "2023-12-20T00:37:40Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Basically only 2 wild wolf attacks in the last 80 years. OMG!!! That twice as many as fatal coyote attacks. We’re doomed. But in truth, livestock are more in danger of dying from bad and moldy feed than wolf attacks.