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On Saturday night, a couple vacationing in central Colorado were soaking in a hot spring-fed pool when they noticed a dark figure descending a flight of stairs at their rental property. Under the dim starlight, they thought the animal was a dog. But the events that unfolded proved them wrong: the intruder was a mountain lion—and a strange one at that.
Sean Shepherd, an area wildlife manager at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, met with the couple after the incident in Chaffee County and confirmed that a large cat approached them and pawed the man’s head. When the visitor backed off, Shepherd said the lion instinctively flexed its claws, much like a house cat does when it’s tired of its owner’s attention.
The travelers, who are knowledgeable about the outdoors and familiar with wildlife deterrent practices, yelled to let the predator know they were people and not prey. They shined a flashlight on it and splashed water. The riot worked: the mountain lion moved off to a perch on the hillside where he watched the couple before they returned to the house.
“Your actions distracted the mountain lion,” Shepherd said.
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The man suffered several “superficial” scratches on his head and did not seek medical attention. “I don’t want to downplay his injuries,” Shepherd said. “He was certainly scraped together.” (Preferring to keep matters private, the visitors declined interviews about Shepherd.)
Mountain lion attacks are rare. In Colorado, the last dangerous interaction happened on February 27, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The agency has documented about two dozen attacks since 1990. The Sacramento-based Mountain Lion Foundation said there have been fewer than a dozen deaths in North America in more than a century. The organization estimates that 2,500 to 3,000 mountain lions live in Colorado and that the US population does not exceed 30,000.
“People love living in Colorado and visiting to see wildlife — from afar,” said R. Brent Lyles, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation. “This encounter obviously wasn’t the kind you’re hoping for. Although it is a rare occurrence, mountain lions are not infallible and can make mistakes.”
How travelers can stay safe during wildlife encounters
To avoid a confrontation, Shepherd advises people to remain vigilant during lions’ most active times: at dusk, when they hunt, and at dawn; The meeting took place at around 8:15 p.m
The predators follow the movements of their food source. In Colorado, deer are still grazing in their winter range but will descend to lower elevations once the range turns green. Shepherd said that on the night of the incident they found two deer hidden under a residential patio. The next day they noticed about 10 to 15 deer in the area. The tenement was also near a creek, which he said “moves like wild beasts.”
When choosing a rental home in a mountain lion habitat, the Mountain Lion Foundation recommends that vacationers look for properties with fences and motion-activated lights, as well as hot tubs and patios with minimal vegetation. In addition, guests should not feed deer or small mammals, or allow their pets to run off-leash.
“Pretty much anywhere in the West that we’re out there, we’re in lion territory and often in bear and coyote territory as well,” said Gowan Batiste, the foundation’s coexistence coordinator. “Planning for coexistence is an important part of home and landscaping design.”
If you come into close contact with a mountain lion, walk away slowly, but never run away. The fast movement can activate their prey instinct. Make a scene too. “If there is a mix-up, make yourself as big as possible. Using voice, light, water or physical resistance can be very effective,” said Batiste. “Lions really don’t want to mess with humans.”
In Colorado, report a mountain lion encounter to Colorado Parks and Wildlife during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or contact the Colorado State Patrol day or night or the local sheriff’s department.
Because Saturday’s encounter was more serious than a sighting, CPW staff set a trap. They also searched for a cached deer. To deter the predator from returning, they usually remove the dead animal that the lion has dragged to a tree and camouflaged with woody debris. Shepherd said they check the trap twice a day, in the morning and between 9 and 10 p.m. The agency will soon remove the gear to avoid ensnaring other critters.
If they catch the lion that abused the visitor, the agency will transplant or euthanize it. “For security reasons, we err on the side of the people,” he admitted.
Since the incident, the agency has received no new complaints about an unauthorized mountain lion.