Colorado

Feral donkeys to fight off wolves in Colorado

2023-04-10

As the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado looms, tensions rise between environmentalists and ranchers. While environmentalists believe that wolves will help restore the ecosystem balance, ranchers fear losing their livestock.

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Don Gittleson, a Colorado rancher, has turned to “guard donkeys” to protect his cattle from wolves.

Colorado Ranching Wolves | Guard Donkeys

The Threat to Ranchers:

Wolves have been known to attack and kill cattle, which is a cause of concern for ranchers. Gittleson has lost eight cows to wolves and fears that reintroducing wolves to the state could lead to more losses.

Methods to Protect Cattle:

Gittleson Angus and Gittleson Family Cattle Company, a ranch in Colorado, acquired seven donkeys, hoping to make the herd a more challenging target for wolves, which they say have killed three cattle since December 2021.

They hope the next wolf that tries to get close to a cow will meet a hurricane of hooves and donkey teeth. Guard animals are not a new concept, but instead of guard dogs, Gittleson chose guard donkeys, which were considered a better choice due to the high cost of food for dogs.

These donkeys threaten wolves as they can kick, strike, and bite, thus deterring them from attacking the cattle.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management had a surplus of burros—not from Chipotle—which could be used as guard donkeys, and six of them were identified and adopted for the ranch.

Gittleson hopes the donkeys will deter wolves from attacking his cattle, especially with Colorado wildlife officials' plans to turn the state into a haven for these endangered predators.

Other nonlethal methods include red flags, flashing lights, and cracker shells.

The Use of Feral Donkeys

Feral donkeys have been used to protect livestock in other parts of the world, and now they are becoming a popular choice for ranchers in Colorado. The donkeys are not interested in mixing with the cattle and prefer to stick together, thus forming a bond while helping to protect the cattle from predators.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has described donkeys as "a pilot project" for reducing cattle depredation.

While feral donkeys are relatively new in Colorado, they have been successful in other parts of the world, including Australia and Africa.

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Debate Over Wolf Reintroduction: Takeaway

The Colorado plan to reintroduce wolves to the state has caused tension between ranchers and environmentalists. While ranchers are against the reintroduction of wolves, environmentalists believe that wolves are essential.

Ranchers feel that their concerns have been ignored, and they fear that losing their livestock will lead to financial consequences. However, environmentalists insist the reintroduction of wolves will help maintain the balance of the ecosystem and will benefit the entire state overall.
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