Another Colorado rancher's cattle attacked by wolves

Mandi Shoemaker chokes back tears when she thinks about the two calves who were attacked by wolves near Walden in early October.

"We can chase the wolves away," Shoemaker said "But we can't stop them."

It's a familiar dilemma for ranchers in Walden. Don Gittleson spoke with CBS News Colorado earlier this year about his cattle being attacked by wolves and the lengths he was going through to follow the new laws, but keep the wolves at bay.

Colorado voted to reintroduce wolves to the ecosystem, and although they have not done it yet, wolves are now a protected species. So if they wander over the border into Colorado, they can't be killed to protect livestock.

Shoemaker lost one calf to the wolves; another is badly wounded with a hole in its left back leg where a wolf bit it. You can see the muscle through the hole, growing wider by the day.

"I have never seen something like this," Shoemaker said. "Seeing a helpless animal like his, going through this, I can't do anything."

A vet has checked the calf (named "Houdini" for its tendency to hide and disappear) and with the help of antibiotics, they believe he may recover, but it's a "may" -- not for sure.

Shoemaker said she understood the wolves would eventually become a problem for her, she just didn't expect it before they were officially reintroduced.

"We are living something that we saw wasn't a good thing, we are stuck living it because of other people who were uninformed are pushing for it and voted for it," Shoemaker said.

The proposition passed with a majority vote from Coloradans. Supporters have said reintroducing wolves to the wild of Colorado will help balance populations of prey like deer naturally and support a creature that used to live here before people drove them out.

Folks like Shoemaker are frustrated with the unintended consequences of the vote: it's not the intent for the wolves to feed on livestock, but it's happening anyway. 

Colorado is exploring a 10(j) amendment from the Department of Fish and Wildlife which would give the state "flexibility" in how it deals with the protected wolf population reintroduction. In some cases where a pack have grown used to preying on livestock, it would allow them to be killed even though they are a protected species.

Shoemaker will receive payment for her dead calf at current market value and half market value for her injured calf Houdini. She said she is not sure if the state is going to reimburse her for the vet bills or not, but she said her calf will never be able to do what he is on the ranch to do: help her with training horses.

Now she is worried about the rest of the pack and the likelihood that the wolves come back for more after getting a taste of a kill.

"You are asking people to make a living up here with the rising cost of everything, then throwing in this animal that is hunting for fun," Shoemaker said. "I have hit every emotion possible. Mad, pissed off, sad, the 'What can I do to help this little dude while he is suffering' and it is research. Everyone has to research what they are doing, don't just vote on something until you know for sure what this will do because I think this is only the beginning."