Colorado Parks and Wildlife tracking mountain lion after attacks on dogs, goats
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is trying to track a mountain lion (or several mountain lions) who has attacked at least two dogs in the past few weeks. It's believed the big cat has also attacked several other pets and goats recently in Summit County.
Some of the dogs have been attacked near Keystone and in Silverthorne, and CPW is investigating another attack in another area to the north of Interstate 70.
"If you're letting your dog out at night before you go to bed, turn those lights on. Maybe open the door, make some noise, just kind of make whatever might be in your yard feel uncomfortable so that way it moves away," said CPW spokeswoman Rachael Gonzales.
CPW says if they are able to find the mountain lion responsible for the attacks the dogs they have three options: relocate the mountain lion, hope it leaves on its own or euthanize it if the attacks are deemed bad enough.
One of the dogs who was attacked is named Fergus. His owners said they let the dog out to go to the bathroom in the backyard of their home near Keystone.
"He came right along this path that we had shoveled out," said Shawne Leach, pointing out where the mountain lion came into their yard one evening. She and her husband Shannon use one of the animal's more informal names – a cougar.
"I opened the kitchen window and called to him with no response. I went to the front door, called to him – no response."
After looking around they couldn't find Fergus, but they found a trail of blood.
"I told Shawne 'The cougar has got Fergus,'" Shannon said.
Shannon and Shawne followed the trail with flashlights into the woods.
"Eventually I got close enough to see Fergus, and he was just stretched out, not moving at all. And I yelled back to Shannon – who was a little ways behind me -- 'I see Fergus, I see Fergus,'" said Shawne. "And then I raised the light and there was the cougar."
"The cougar was standing right over Fergus and I had been crawling towards Fergus so I was 5 feet away from Fergus."
Shawne said she remembers the mountain lion had an exceptionally large face.
"His mouth is open and he was hissing continually at me," she said.
Eventually the mountain lion left and the couple brought Fergus home and took him to a veterinarian. He lost an eye in the attack and has numerous scars on his face, but he's still a happy and playful dog.
Several mountain lions have been caught on home surveillance video recently in Summit County.
"I think some of the (news) coverage … us paying more attention to our surroundings, it does feel like we're seeing more. But we may not have more mountain lions in Summit County than what we do on a normal basis. We're just paying more attention to that," Gonzales said.
