Wolf Release

 
This YouTube video shows the power and grace of the wolves recently released in Colorado on December 18 and 19, 2023. The release was only approved by a 51-49% margin by voters in 2020. Wolves are protected by the endangered species act as of 2020. The recent release of wolves join a pack that established itself in Colorado by naturally migrating from Wyoming in 2021. This pack was collared, but their batteries have since died, as expected. Since their release, the wolves have been sighted and confirmed on a ranch near Yampa, in January 2024. The Parks and Wildlife folks soon arrived to "provide them with non-lethal hazing resources," which included rubber shells, rubber bullets and bean bags. All the wolves have GPS collars. More wolf transplants have been promised by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, to be captured and moved between 2024 and 2025.
 
That's a brief summary of recent developments on wolves in Colorado. They are here, they are thriving, they are not entirely popular. 
 
Why do my sympathies fall on the side of the wolves? I spend a fair amount of my time hiking Colorado trails. Perhaps the exercise of putting myself in the heads of my Netah characters, who can shift from humans to animals, has given me a different perspective. Perhaps the history of settlers trying to wipe out this majestic species also sours me to human's demands for protection against the predators. It appears that the main source of objections come from ranchers, and while I'm not a rancher, I understand protecting what is yours.
 
I hike the forests with my kids and grandkids and dogs. Do I feel safe? Yes, I do. The thing is, unless humans or their dogs attack or menace wolves, they have no interest in attacking us. There is plenty for them to eat. When I first moved to Colorado 30 some years ago, I learned to keep my smallest child close to protect her from mountain lions. We stayed on trails. Small dogs can become prey to coyotes here. That is the reality of life in Colorado. I don't want fear to chase me out of the wilderness, nor do I want fear to chase these important apex predators from our landscape. And yes, I am a died-in-the-wool tree hugger too! But that's just me. 
 
Stay tuned for a fictional account of what could happen when a Netah wolf meets another wolf!