Two hikers on Smuggler Mountain near Aspen picked up a pair of young fawns Friday morning, prompting this message from open space and wildlife officials: Leave wild animals alone.
Pitkin County was notified that the fawns were curled up next to Smuggler Mountain Road by individuals concerned for their safety in an area where off-leash dogs are permitted.
The county didn’t interfere with the animals, according to Open Space and Trails ranger John Armstrong, but officials were later notified that two people were each carrying a fawn down the road.
They were intercepted by city ranger Brian Long, with Aspen Parks, Open Space and Trails, as well as a county deputy. The fawns were placed well off the road in the hopes that they would reunite with their mother, Long said.
It’s unlikely the fawns were abandoned, but were left along the road early in the morning when it was quiet, Long surmised. They would best have been left alone to await their mother’s return.
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