Arguments about what subspecies of gray wolf Colorado will choose to reintroduce are another red herring. The most renowned conservation scientists in the world will have direct input into the decisions about what subspecies of wolf most closely represented the species native to Colorado..
The bottom line is that the wolves selected to recolonize the wilds of western Colorado will be from stock that is familiar with hunting elk as their primary prey—because what we aim to do is rekindle wolf predation as an ecological process. We are advocating wolf restoration in Colorado regardless of the status of wolves under state or Federal endangered species laws. The plan that the Colorado Parks & Wildlife biologists develop will determine where the seed stock will come from, and they will make that decision based upon the best available science.
For more information on this and related topics, visit the FAQs developed by the scientists at Colorado State University: Colorado Wolves FAQ – CHCC
In the video below, our colleague Doug Smith from the National Park Service helps explain the pointless “what wolf is the right wolf” dilemma posed by opponents to wolf restoration.
