Colorado Parks and Wildlife says it is relocating the Copper Creek wolf pack — a mating pair and at least three wolf pups born this spring.

The Tuesday night announcement said the wildlife agency, along with technical support from federal partners, is already conducting an operation to relocate the wolves that have been killing livestock in Grand County.

So far, the mating pair is believed to be responsible for the slaughter of at least nine sheep and at least seven cattle, including calves and yearlings, since April 2.

Ranchers in Grand County, including the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, have been pleading with state officials for months to do something about the wolves.

Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park group, told Colorado Politics this evening the news is a step in the right direction but much more needs to be done. “They still have a long ways to go,” he said.

The mating pair came from Oregon and were released in Colorado last December.

The wolves brought to Colorado from Oregon had a history of being in packs that were killing livestock as recently as last year. Wildlife officials have refused the request from ranchers to lethally manage the pair, despite a decision by the CPW Commission to allow such action.

Last week, the commission announced the next batch of wolves coming to Colorado under the wolf restoration plan would be released in the northern zone, which includes Grand and Summit counties.

That news was greeted with dismay by ranchers.

“The decision to capture and relocate the Copper Creek pack was made with the careful consideration of multiple factors and feedback from many different stakeholders,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “Our options in this unique case were very limited, and this action is by no means a precedent for how CPW will resolve wolf-livestock conflict moving forward.”

“The ultimate goal of the operation,” Davis added, “is to relocate the pack to another location while we assess our best options for them to continue to contribute to the successful restoration of wolves in Colorado.”

The announcement added that for the safety of the animals and staff, the agency will not be sharing the location of the pack members or operation.

The agency said it will provide more information and details at the conclusion of the operation.

The agency has been criticized for its handling of the wolf restoration, which led some ranchers to cut off access to their lands to wildlife staffers. The ranches participated in state conservation programs.

Editor’s note: This is a developing story.