Update, 8 a.m., April 29: Colorado Parks and Wildlife has confirmed that a wolf-livestock depredation occurred April 28. This depredation has been added to the Wolf Depredation Report webpage on CPW’s website.

A possible wolf depredation event is currently under investigation in Grand County, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

CPW stated that its wildlife officers received a report of the possible depredation on Sunday morning.

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“Local staff are conducting a field investigation. If confirmed, CPW will update the new Gray Wolf Depredation Report webpage,” the agency wrote in an email to Sky-Hi News.

CPW recently created this webpage to inform the public about confirmed wolf-livestock depredations. This page will be updated each time wildlife officials confirm a depredation event.

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Conway Farrell runs Farrell Livestock in Grand County; he reported that a yearling carcass was found to CPW.

Farrell told Steamboat Radio that he believes a male wolf killed the yearling, and it’s the male wolf part of a breeding pair that is denning nearby.

If confirmed, this will be the seventh depredation event in Colorado. It would also be the fifth depredation on the Farrell property. Since the 10 wolves were released in Grand and Summit counties, there have been six confirmed depredations – five in Grand and one in Jackson County, as well as one injured calf. The first depredation occurred on April 2.

Since the killings began, the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association sent two letters to Colorado Park and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, requesting lethal removal of the two wolves that are believed to have committed the recent depredations. Several other organizations, including Grand County Board of County Commissioners, also sent letters in support of the stockgrowers’ request.

On April 23, CPW Director Jeff Davis responded to the stockgrowers letters. The director stated that the wolf or wolves committing the recent depredations would not be killed.

“The wolf that could be implicated in these depredations is the male of a pair that we believe to be denning,” Davis wrote. “Removing the male breeder at this point would be irresponsible management and potentially cause the den to fail, possibly resulting in the death of the presumed pups.”

After the April 28 depredation, the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association gave a statement to Sky-Hi News. The organization expressed frustration that non-lethal deterrents hadn’t prevented cattle from being killed.

Non-lethal has a shelf life; it will only work for so long,” the stockgrowers stated.

The association added that ranchers will continue to use non-lethal deterrents, but there is an unintended consequence. If a rancher pushes a wolf away with tools such as cracker shells or fox lights, the wolf travels to their neighbor’s livestock.

“How many more livestock are going to be killed before these wolves are removed? This is a battle and we are not giving up,” the association stated.

This is a developing story and will be updated as information is received. Visit CPW.State.Co.Us and visit the “wolves” page to read the depredation events. Warning, the photo placed below this letter is graphic.