A search-and-rescue team took medication and 700 pounds of fresh meat to 13 wolves left isolated at a sanctuary near Black Hawk after a series of snowstorms.
The animals were among 43 wolves that the nonprofit group Wolf cares for. Wolf co-founder Pat Wendland said the 13 had dry dog food and water, but caretakers wanted the additional supplies so the wolves can maintain their strength and improve their health.
The wolves had been found abused and injured in Wisconsin and were sent to the Colorado sanctuary in June from a Minnesota shelter, Wendland said.
“When we first got these animals, they were in horrible condition – absolutely horrible condition,” she said.
Four Rocky Mountain Rescue Group volunteers used snowmobiles and a litter on Tuesday to transport the supplies to a caretaker who lives near the wolves.
“We definitely have the right equipment for this and figured we’d make it our training session,” said Ted Krieger, a member of the all-volunteer group.
A three-mile access road to the enclosures where the wolves live has been impassable in the past week because of heavy snow and drifts.
Last week, the Colorado National Guard conducted a three-day airlift in southeastern Colorado, dropping about 3,000 hay bales in a massive effort to save stranded rangeland cattle. Troops also trucked in hay and smashed ice on watering holes.
Terry Fankhauser, executive vice president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, has said up to 15,000 cattle may have been killed on rangeland and in feedlots because of the storms.
