Wolf kills a calf in Colorado, 1st confirmed kill after the predator's reintroduction

abcnews.go.com:

Colorado's wildlife authorities say a wolf has killed a calf in Colorado

DENVER — A wolf has killed a calf in Colorado, wildlife officials said Wednesday, confirming the first livestock kill after 10 of the predators were controversially reintroduced in December to the aggrievement of the state's rural residents.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed after an investigation that the wounds of the calf killed Tuesday, and nearby wolf tracks, were consistent with a wolf kill, what they refer to as a “depredation.”

“The field investigation found multiple tooth rake marks on the calf’s hindquarters and neck, and hemorrhaging under the hide, consistent with wolf depredation," Jeromy Huntington, one of the agencies wildlife managers, said in a statement.

The agency did not say how many wolves were involved, or if it was one of the recently released animals. In the past few years, a handful of wolves have wandered down from Wyoming and killed livestock.

The calf’s owner can be compensated by the state for the animal’s market value, up to $15,000. Still, ranchers argue it's just not enough.

“The incident, which resulted in the loss of livestock, underscores the ongoing challenges faced by ranchers in managing conflicts between livestock and wildlife," Tatum Swink, spokesperson for Colorado Cattlemen's Association said in a statement.

Colorado's reintroduction of wolves, which narrowly won in a 2020 ballot measure, created political shockwaves throughout the state.

Ranchers and farmers lambasted the proposal as “ballot biology,” arguing that the animals would chomp into their businesses and the industry at large. Even nearby Republican states including Wyoming, Idaho and Montana refused to provide wolves to Colorado, which