Controversy over possible Colo. wolf pack

DENVER, March 2 (UPI) -- A report of a wolf pack living in western Colorado has been met with celebration by advocates and skepticism from local ranchers, authorities said.

The possible presence of wolves in Colorado, where they were killed off 70 years ago, is a controversial matter, The Denver Post reported Tuesday.

Advocates say wolves will improve the state's ecological balance, while those making a living by ranching or hunting see them as damaging predators threatening their livelihoods.

"People don't understand they are not just big, fluffy animals. They are devastating," said rancher Joe Latham.

But wolf advocates say it's not the animals themselves people fear.

"It really has nothing to do with wolves. It has to do with wolves as symbols. That symbolism gets so weird," said Ed Bangs, the national wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Cristina Eisenberg, a biologist and author working for a recreational ranch northwest of Grand Junction, Colo., says she is convinced a wolf pack has taken up residence in the area, the Post said.

But local ranch hands say they aren't so sure.

"I have ridden that area and hunted lions in that area, and I have not seen any signs nor have I heard them at night," ranch worker Brian Bivins said. "I think the biologist lady just wants them to be there."