DENVER (KDVR) — Wolves aren’t the number one cattle killer in Colorado, but they are a growing concern for ranchers already worried about gray wolf reintroduction.

A series of wolf attacks on cattle in northern Colorado have claimed several cattle and prompted wildlife managers to import wild burros as guard animals. Wolves moving south from Wyoming have caused four such incidents in the last four months, marking the end of an era. Prior to December 2021, Colorado hadn’t seen any wolf attacks since the 1940s.

The recent attacks have rekindled rural Coloradans’ resentment at a ballot initiative that will reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado. Rural residents and ranchers voted against the ballot, while densely-populated Front Range counties voted in favor.

The increase in wolf attacks adds to the everyday concerns of wild predators eating Colorado ranchers’ herds. Predation is a smaller source of herd damage than disease or weather, but it is still a substantial amount of damage in dollar terms.

The state’s Game Damage Program holds an annual $1.3 million to reimburse farmers and ranchers for losses to crops, herds and property incurred from wild animals. Most of it is livestock damage. In 2020, 60% of the state’s claims were paid to ranchers for livestock.

Much of the conversation in Colorado has concerned cattle. Most of those claims paid to ranchers are not cattle, but sheep. Of the nearly $300,000 paid to ranchers, $220,000 was for sheep. The overwhelming majority of those livestock killings came from black bears and mountain lions.

Less than $20,000 was for cattle, according to Colorado Park and Wildlife records. There were 16 claims paid in all. Wolf predation on cattle would potentially spike these numbers. Another four wolf attacks on top of that would result in a 25% increase to cattle killings.