Wolf Reintroduction: A Growing Threat to Ranchers Across the West

September 8, 2025 - SIERRA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA - As apex predators return to landscapes they once roamed freely, ranchers in California, Colorado, and other western states are facing a new-and costly-challenge. The reintroduction of gray wolves, hailed by conservationists as a triumph for biodiversity, is increasingly being viewed by livestock producers as a direct threat to their livelihoods.

California: Millions in Hidden Costs

In California, where wolves were once considered extinct, the population has steadily grown since 2011. A recent UC Davis study quantified what ranchers have long reported anecdotally: wolves are causing substantial economic harm. The research focused on three packs-Harvey, Lassen, and Beyem Seyo-and found that a single wolf can cause between $69,000 and $162,000 in direct and indirect losses, including:

• Reduced pregnancy rates in cows

• Decreased weight gain in calves

• Elevated stress levels in herds

"It has been an absolute massacre," said Paul Roen a rancher who has lost 37 cattle to wolf attack in Sierra County, CA.

Sheriff Mike Fisher agrees, saying, in a Fox 40 television news story that the loss in Sierra Valley is "unprecedented."

"There is nowhere else in the nation that has seen the amount of depredation in such a short amount of time," said Fisher.

Total indirect losses across affected ranches ranged from $1.4 million to $3.4 million. Despite a pilot compensation program from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, ranchers say the payments fall short of covering the full scope of damage.

Colorado: Distrust and Depredation

Colorado's wolf reintroduction, mandated by Proposition 114 in 2020, has sparked fierce debate. While the state has released 25 wolves so far, ranchers report escalating livestock losses and a lack of transparency from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). In Pitkin County, the rerelease of the Copper Creek pack-known for previous depredations-onto private land led to immediate calf deaths and injuries.

Ranchers like Mike Cerveny and Brad Day say they were blindsided by the decision and criticize CPW's range rider program as understaffed and ineffective. "They dropped off the Copper Creek pack and these wolves have been chewing on, chasing, injuring and killing our calves since the first week of March," Cerveny told the Coloradoan.

Efforts to pause the program have faltered. A proposed ballot initiative to end reintroductions failed to gather enough signatures, and a bill to halt funding was heavily amended, allowing the program to continue.

https://www.tsln.com/news/california-wolf-crisis-cattle-easy-prey-for-the-apex-predator/

Montana, Oregon, and Beyond: A Cautionary Tale

States like Montana and Oregon, which have longer histories with wolf recovery, offer cautionary lessons. In Montana, ranchers have developed non-lethal deterrents, but depredation remains a persistent issue. The Montana Stockgrowers Association has even requested that Montana wolves not be transplanted to Colorado, citing decades of conflict and management challenges.

In Oregon and Washington, collaborative approaches have helped reduce tensions, but ranchers still face losses and stress. Compensation programs exist, but many producers argue they're reactive rather than preventative.

⚖️ Policy vs. Practicality

While conservationists emphasize the ecological benefits of wolf reintroduction-such as controlling deer populations and restoring vegetation-ranchers argue that the costs are being unfairly borne by rural communities. The debate highlights a broader tension between urban-driven environmental policy and the realities of land-based livelihoods.

As Alabama continues to monitor national wildlife policy trends, the western experience offers a sobering reminder: apex predator recovery may be good for ecosystems, but without robust mitigation and stakeholder engagement, it can devastate the very communities that steward the land. A 2019 report from the Center for Biological Diversity identified Talladega National Forest as one of five southeastern sites suitable for red wolf reintroduction. The study highlighted roughly 20,000 square miles of public land across Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia that could support nearly 500 breeding pairs of red wolves. No plan for red wolf introduction in Alabama has ever been formally submitted.

(Brandon Moseley contributed to this report.)