Cody Thomas/Photo courtesy
Silverthorne resident Cody Thomas knew there was a mountain lion living in his backyard. He saw them on a security camera lurking at his feet from the front door.
So even though the family's 85-pound black Labrador, Timber, is a “real athletic” hunting dog, Thomas is always careful when letting him out at night. he said. But as he was standing on his porch just before going to bed on Sunday, February 4, Thomas heard a “terrible scream.”
He said he knew immediately that a mountain lion had attacked Timber, who was wandering out of sight in the driveway behind a detached garage less than 30 yards away.It was around 9 p.m.
“That lion pinned my dog down in the driveway and my dog was screaming,” Thomas said. “I just started running towards (the mountain lion) and started screaming. I could see that the lion was a little bit bigger than Timber. A little bit more. But not quite. To be honest, it couldn't have weighed more. It was.”
Thomas said when he got within a few feet of Timber, the feral cat let go of the dog and ran off in the direction of Silverthorne Elementary School, which is right next door to his home. Timber was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital in Denver and is now recovering.
But other pets in the area weren't so lucky. Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Alex Strasser said there have been several reports of missing pets in and around Mount Ptarmigan over the past month.
At least three goats have also been killed in the same area since the beginning of this month. Strasser said it's safe to assume that at least some of the attacks are carried out by mountain lions that have become too accustomed to humans.
It's also possible, he said, that the same mountain lion was involved in an attack on a dog near Keystone a week earlier, although it's impossible to say for sure. These pet owners chased the mountain lion through the snow and fired two shots before rescuing their dogs.
“The attacks are becoming more frequent,” Strasser said. “That's never good, especially when you have multiple lion attacks in a concentrated area like this. It's a lion that has become accustomed to humans and is not looking at its natural prey. Goat. I’m looking at it. I’m looking at the dog.”
Colorado's Rocky Mountains are the mountain lion's natural habitat. Mountain lions, also known as mountain lions, leopards, and mountain lions, are powerful and elusive predators that typically hunt deer and elk. People rarely get a fleeting glimpse of a mountain lion in the wild.
But as Summit County has grown over the years, more and more people have moved into “mountain lion country,” Strasser said. He said humans can coexist peacefully with predators, but when mountain lions start to feel safe in residential areas, there is a real concern for people's safety.
Strasser said the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department is actively trying to relocate or kill the cat, with the mountain lion behind a recent attack in Summit County. He said wildlife officials plan to hunt down the cats by luring them into traps with carcasses or tracking them with hunting dogs.
Anyone who encounters a mountain lion or has a missing domestic animal in Summit County should contact the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department's Hot Sulfur Springs office to file a report, Strasser said. Stated. Residents and visitors should also take precautions to avoid encounters with wild animals, he added.
“In cases like this lion, if you keep them roaming in the same area, you start to have health concerns for humans,” Strasser said. “We want to get that lion out of there. Once we hear these things, we can go look for tracks while it's still fresh.”
According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website, mountain lions stalk their prey and use their powerful jaws to suddenly lunge at them, often attacking them from behind, breaking their windpipe or breaking their neck. . Adult male mountain lions can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds, while females can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh up to 90 pounds.
Understanding and respecting mountain lions and their habitat will help prevent dangerous encounters, the website states. To reduce lion problems, people should make noise when coming and going at dusk and dawn, install outdoor lighting and landscape gardens, and remove lion hiding places, especially around play areas.
Pet owners shouldn't let their animals out alone at night, Strasser says, and should keep them within sight or preferably on a leash. In most cases, mountain lions will run away when they hear loud noises or screams.
Strasser noted that pets are considered personal property in Colorado, so it is illegal to shoot a mountain lion that attacks or eats a domestic dog or cat. But he said deadly force can be used when human life is at risk.
If you come face to face with a mountain lion, don't run as this may stimulate your cat's predatory instincts. According to the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife, anyone who encounters a mountain lion should remain calm and try to make themselves look larger, and if the cat behaves aggressively, they should fight back with a rock, stick or other nearby object. That's what it means.
After being attacked by a mountain lion in his driveway, Thomas said he feared for the safety of his wife, twin young boys and children on their way to and from a nearby elementary school.
Thomas said he didn't really expect the mountain lion to attack Timber because his dog is larger than the other children.
“I couldn't believe it. I think it was because I was there, I wasn't far from him and he was a big dog,” Thomas said. “He didn't even have time to roar. This (mountain lion) was just sitting in the back of my snowmobile trailer and boom! — as fast as I could think, I just drove him into the back of the neck. is.”
Timber, 4, is always full of energy and was nicknamed Tiger after the “Winnie the Pooh” character who is always jumping up and down, Thomas said. Veterinarians at the hospital believe Timber fought back after the mountain lion grabbed him.
Timber, who Thomas described as “like a child to us,” had bite marks on the top of his head and around his neck, and claw marks on his lower abdomen. Timber is not as energetic as usual because he is heavily sedated, but he is improving.
“It was really just a surprise attack. It was really fast,” Thomas said. “Despite my experience with cats and hunting, I was naive. They're usually afraid of dogs. Timber is a huge dog. But this cat was pretty bold.”
