Five gray wolves, the first of the reintroduction program approved by voters in 2020, were released in the Colorado Rockies this week; a second group is expected to be released within the next few months.
Like every other event in America these days, wolf reintroduction is a political issue, favored by conservationists (mostly Democratic) and opposed by ranchers (mostly Republican). Ranchers will be compensated for any livestock kills but Colorado's elk population, the largest in the country, will likely be the primary target of these predators; as one might expect, elk hunters (mostly Republican) resent that competition.
Republican Administrations in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming would not cooperate with the program and the first transplanted wolves were thus captured in Oregon (a Blue State). Protecting natural habitat and restoring ecosystems will always be politicized. Those who care about these issues must therefore vote accordingly.
