It's natural, right? The predator and the prey. However, when the prey is a rancher's livelihood, it's different.

Wildlife officials have confirmed that a domestic calf found dead near Walden in northern Colorado was killed by a wolf or wolves. Colorado Parks and Wildlife found wolf tracks near the calf carcass and wounds that would correlate with a wolf attack.

According to the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, this is the first death "of its kind in more than 70 years."

Get our free mobile app

Luckily ranchers are not completely out of luck if this happens to their herd. Ranchers already receive reimbursements if their animals are attacked by mountain lions or bears, and wolves will now be added to that list. This is the best option as the penalty for killing a gray wolf in Colorado can result in fines up to $100,000, jail time, or loss of hunting privileges according to Colorado Politics.

You might recall that Colorado voters passed a much-debated proposition that went into effect last year, to allow the state to reintroduce an undetermined number of gray wolves into Colorado, west of the Continental Divide, by the end 2023.

Gray wolf pups have been spotted several times in different parts of Colorado over the last couple of years having nothing to do with the bill passed in 2020.

10 Wild Animal Encounters in Northern Colorado in 2020