Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) donated six wild burros to a Jackson County rancher who has recently been the victim of several wolf depredation incidents. The department hopes the burros will protect the livestock, according to a news release.
The rancher, Don Gittleson, has experienced three incidents since December. The wolf population in Colorado was eradicated in the 1940s, with a functional population of the species absent from the state for decades. However, in 2020, a small pack with two adults naturally migrated to the area from a bordering state. It is believed that members from this pack are the animals that targeted Gittleson's livestock.
"The idea is to make the burros become a part of the cattle herd to where they will start to protect or consider the cattle as a member of its family,” said CPW Wildlife Officer Zach Weaver, of Walden in the release.
"Don will start to introduce the burros to certain members of the herd in small increments. He has put the burros out with a small group of calves on his ranch. They’re still in a corral with access to heat, but he’s beginning to acclimate them … Don is monitoring the animals. He’s paying attention to how much they’re going inside to warm up. They’ll gain more hair as they need it," he said.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission has also unanimously approved new wolf-hazing rules for ranchers earlier this year. They are now allowed to use many hazing techniques, like fladry and noisemakers, in order to frighten or annoy the wolves. However, some research suggests that the burros will be a more effective solution.
"APHIS [the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ] told us that burros were effective at stopping predation in Oregon,” Weaver said. “We learned that wild burros are more effective because they’ve been in the wild where they’ve had to defend themselves and their herd from predation from animals like mountain lions and coyotes.”
A ballot measure was approved in 2020, directs the CPW commission to create a plan for the reintroduction and management of gray wolves by December 2023. A protection plan for livestock owners is a requirement of the plan.
STAY INFORMED: Sign-up for the daily OutThere Colorado newsletter here
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.