Dogs grabbed from porch as mountain lions prey on pets in Colorado town, officials say
Residents of a Colorado mountain town are facing increased mountain lion attacks as the elusive predators prey on their pet dogs, officials say.
Mountain lions have killed one dog and maimed another two in the town of Grand Lake since December, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a Jan. 25 news release.
Grand Lake is nestled within the state’s Western Slope. It’s about 25 miles northwest of Nederland, the town where mountain lions have killed more than a dozen dogs since November, McClatchy News previously reported.
All three attacks in Grand Lake took place just outside the residents’ homes, with at least two of them happening on the homeowner’s porches, the release said.
The latest attack took place shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 23, the release said. The dog and its owner were just returning home from a walk when the mountain lion lunged at the dog and grabbed it off the porch steps.
The owner managed to scare the mountain lion enough that it let go of the dog and ran off, officials said. The injured pup went to the vet.
Wildlife officers followed the mountain lion’s tracks in the snow to a tree near the home, the release said. Because of the nature of the attack, the wildlife officer determined the mountain lion was threatening human health and safety and euthanized it.
That lion was between 1.5 and 2 years old, making it a “sub-adult,” according to the release.
The town’s first attack on Dec. 19 and the second attack on Jan. 19 both occurred in the same area west of Shadow Mountain Reservoir, the release said.
In the first attack, a resident heard her dog make a noise shortly after she let the dog out around 10 p.m., the release said. She opened the door to see what was going on and ended up hitting the mountain lion with the door, causing it to drop the dog and run off.
The injured dog survived, the release said.
The second dog to get attacked was not so lucky. In that case, the dog and its owner were returning from a walk. That dog was off leash, but right behind its owner, when a female adult mountain lion around 7 years old grabbed the dog from underneath a porch, the release said.
The dog’s owner tried to scare off the mountain lion, but was unsuccessful, the release said. The dog owner’s husband shot and killed the mountain lion, which is against the law unless there’s a threat to human health and safety. That dog died.
After investigating, the wildlife officer who responded to the attack did not ticket the dog owner because that mountain lion was threatening human health and safety, the release said.
How to keep pets, children, yourself safe
“These are unfortunate situations,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Jeromy Huntington said. “Incidents like these serve as a good reminder that we live in mountain lion country and being aware of our surroundings is important.”
Officials gave tips to prevent similar situations in the future: keep dogs leashed, don’t let them out unsupervised at night and do whatever you can to make mountain lions uncomfortable around your home.
“If you must let your pet out between dusk through dawn when mountain lions are most active, check the area and make your presence known by turning lights on and making noise before letting your pet out,” the release said. “The goal is to make a mountain lion feel as uncomfortable and unwanted as possible so they will leave.”
Officials urged adults to talk with kids about mountain lions and what to do if they see one.
“Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors, especially during dusk-to-dawn hours and teach them to be SMART if they have a close encounter with a mountain lion,” the release said.
SMART stands for:
“S - Stop. Do not run!
M - Make yourself look big.
A - Announce your presence in an authoritative voice: ‘LEAVE ME ALONE, LION!’
R - Retreat by backing away slowly.
T - Tell an adult about the encounter.”
Officials also want adults to report mountain lion sightings or encounters to their local Colorado Parks and Wildlife area office right away, the release said.
Officials said adults should haze mountain lions away from their home by making loud noises — including “setting off your car alarm, banging pots and pans together, blowing a whistle or air horn, etc.”
Officials stressed the importance of not feeding wildlife, along with not feeding your pets outside, as it could attract other prey for mountain lions.
“Feeding one species will bring in the entire food chain,” the release says. “Remove bird feeders. Birdseed will attract numerous small game and deer to your yard, which will in turn invite mountain lions.”
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