I live a few miles from where this incident occurred, but in a more rural situation. Boulder and myself are located at the very eastern edge of the start of the Rocky Mountains, so interaction between humans and wildlife is ongoing and not the least bit unusual. These kinds of mountain lion and bear escapades are so frequent, that their reports are considered to be “on the lighter side”. Better even than fires and shootings as far as the local TV stations are concerned.
In my own neighborhood, we have at least one bear that shows up every autumn to feast in the apple trees on my street. In fact, we now have a nationally famous cow that just chased an apple-eating bear out of her back yard last August. The cow is named “Apple” because she loves to eat apples, and the bear was dining in her favorite apple tree. Just last week, three Chihuahuas cornered a lion in a garage a few miles away and DOW had to be called to rescue the lion and move it back into the wild.
A few years ago, I raised my bedroom blinds and a massive cow elk was staring into my window. The bad thing was she was wrecking my landscaping and I would charge her with my car to try to run her off, but she would just STEP over my back fence and then come back when I parked the car.
Yes, we do lose a few pets to lions, but we also lose even more to foxes and coyotes, which are even more numerous. The lesson here is that the pet owners are the ones at fault for not taking proper care of their pets. I never let my kitties out at night, and I closely supervise any brief daytime outdoor visits, as two rabid bats have been detected across the street during the last 3 years, and a skunk with distemper had to be shot next door by a Boulder County Sheriffs Deputy a few years ago.
In general, lions and bears are not a threat to us. There's been only two fatal attacks by lions in Colorado since I moved here in 1975. Both occurred in the mountains (not here on the plains) when people were unknowingly attacked from behind while walking ALONE on trails.
Most encounters are brief and the animal quickly moves along. Relocations occur only if the animal gets cornered or confused and can't find their way home. DOW is called and they inspect, tag, and relocate the animal. BTW, there's a 3-strikes rules, and the third time an animal has to relocated, it is considered incorrigible and is automatically killed.
Oh, and with such abundant wildlife, hunting is a big-bucks industry in Colorado and we have a very welcoming environment for out-of-state hunters. DOW also manages all aspects of licensed hunting in Colorado and they happen to be one of the better-managed parts of our state government. DOW is a very hunter-friendly organization, and they do a great job in managing all the various aspects of wildlife in Colorado.
And no, I don't work for DOW or have any relatives that do.
I just don't like to see ignorant comments about where I live.
Ahh yes and we like to see informed comments.
Just last week, three Chihuahuas cornered a lion in a garage a few miles away and DOW had to be called to rescue the lion and move it back into the wild.
Do you live in CO or southern CA because three Chihuahuas cornered a cougar in southern CA and Fish & Game killed the cougar, or were there two incidents?
“Both occurred in the mountains (not here on the plains) when people were unknowingly attacked from behind while walking ALONE on trails.”
I am sure that line is a great comfort to the father whose boy was jerked out of his hand as they hiked with a group of people on a trail above Boulder.
When cats are not afraid of humans, they begin to sample them for caloric content, taste, ease of acquisition, etc.
Gunpowder, and only gunpowder, keeps beasts at bay.
Colorado - January 1991 18 year old Scott Lancaster boy killed while jogging on his high school track in Idaho Springs.
Colorado - October 1999, 3 year old missing boys remains found and evidence suggests killed by Mountain Lion.