Watch VideoWolf advocates speak out
Story By: Susan Davies
Source: KOAA
Few mammals are as controversial as wolves.
Pro-wolf organizations are mounting campaigns to force Rocky Mountain National Park to use wolves to control the elk population. Some of the same organizations are trying to stop the federal government from de-listing Gray wolves in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Those states argue the population has climbed to about 1,500 and they want to manage the population. Wolf advocates argue that number isn't large enough to guarentee their survival.
Local wolf advocates at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center near Divide have many daily challenges. They must come up with 80-100 pounds of meat per day for their 15 wolves. A new enclosure for their pair of Mexican Gray wolves will be finished this week. Nonetheless, they feel strongly about the Gray wolf de-listing issue and plan to get involved in the effort to stop possible hunting.
Founder Darlene Kobobel says if the wolves are hunted as planned, she predicts it will turn into a slaughter. She says wolves are native to the Rocky Mountains and belong here. She adds predators like wolves are an important link in the food chain. Without wolves, there is imbalance.
Wolf advocates say public education is key.
