A mountain lion attack on a pet dog at a ski area outside of Carbondale on Wednesday, is prompting Colorado Parks and Wildlife to remind Coloradoans to take precautions to avoid conflicts with wildlife.
The incident happened at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, when a woman living near the Sunlight Ski Resort let her dogs walk outside.
She heard her dogs’ distressed barking, and ran out to her deck to check on them. She watched as a mountain lion ran off with her 14-year-old poodle/shih tzu mix in its mouth.
“As troubling as the incident may seem, residents in this area need to remember that they live in mountain lion country and this can happen anytime,” said area wildlife manager, Perry Will in a news release. “Lions are opportunistic predators, so we caution people to keep a close eye on their dogs, cats or other domesticated animals.”
Wildlife managers do not typically kill a lion that preys on an unsupervised pet.
“It does not appear to be a threat to people right now, but we will continue to monitor the situation, and we will take action if it becomes aggressive towards humans,” Will said.
The next day, wildlife officers received another report of another mountain lion inside the city limits of nearby Carbondale.
According to the news release from the department, sightings of mountain lions within Carbondale city limits may be uncommon, but not unexpected.
People are asked to avoid walking pets at night, to walk in groups and make noise when walking through mountain lion country.
The release encourages the use of walking sticks that can be used to ward off a lion, and suggests people fight back if under attack.
“A lion will retreat if you are able to injure or hurt it during an attack, so don’t run from it, but do fight back if attacked,” said Watchable Wildlife Coordinator Trina Romero in the release.
Here are some more tips:
— Do not approach a lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
— Stay calm when you come upon a lion. Talk calmly yet firmly to it. Move slowly.
— Stop or back away slowly, if you can do it safely. Running may stimulate a lion’s instinct to chase and attack. Face the lion and stand upright.
— Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you’re wearing one. If you have small children with you, protect them by picking them up so they won’t panic and run.
— If the lion behaves aggressively, throw stones, branches or any item you can quickly grab without crouching down or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly. What you want to do is convince the lion you are not prey and that you may in fact be a danger to the lion.
To learn more about living with mountain lions, please visit:
