“Mountain living comes with mountain wildlife.” 

This reminder was posted to the City of Glenwood Springs’ Facebook page last month, along with an alert about mountain lion sightings. The post included a picture of a mountain lion taken outdoors by a home security camera 

“This and other mountain lions have been spotted around town,” the post read. 

---

---

The post included a list of precautions Glenwood Springs residents were advised to follow to reduce the risk of a home encounter with a mountain lion. The tips perfectly align with advice from Matt Yamashita, Area 8 wildlife manager for Colorado Parks & Wildlife. 

“They’re very common,” Yamashita said about mountain lion sightings. “We get them every year, it’s kind of an annual thing.” 

---

---

He said that, historically, mountain lion sightings usually occur during the winter months. A lot of their prey, such as deer, elk and smaller species like rabbits, retreat to lower elevations during the winter, and the snow on the ground makes tracks more visible and easier to identify. 

“Mountain lions follow where the prey goes,” Yamashita said. 

That’s what attracts mountain lions to Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, but what exactly attracts them to our homes? 

“Generally what attracts mountain lions to houses are one of two things locally,” Yamashita said. “One of them is obviously pets.” 

Residents will sometimes let pets roam freely in their backyard or around the neighborhood, but those who are a little more cautious tend to keep their pets tethered near their homes or fenced in their yards. While both can attract mountain lions, the second is exponentially more dangerous, according to Yamashita. 

Just this weekend, an 85-pound dog was attacked by a mountain lion in Silverthorne. Other pets and goats have gone missing in the area. 

“Mountain lions are a creature of opportunity,” he said. “If they find a prey source that’s trapped inside of a yard and can’t escape, that’s 10 times easier than chasing a deer or a coyote across the hillside. They’ll exploit that every chance they get.” 

The solution is to either keep pets in a fully enclosed kennel or dog run, or to keep them indoors altogether — especially at night, as mountain lions are most likely to roam near homes between dusk and dawn.

The second way a mountain lion might be attracted to a person’s home is if people are leaving out food for wild animals, or actively feeding them. 

“If they’re feeding or placing attractions for deer and they concentrate deer in their yards, (firstly) that’s illegal and people shouldn’t be doing that anyway, but by attracting deer, it attracts the prey source that mountain lions are targeting,” he said. 

Yamashita said that while people might mean well, the food they’re providing can ultimately harm deer and other wildlife due to their inability to digest it.

“So if people aren’t feeding wildlife, and if they can secure their pets, we can avoid most conflicts in the Roaring Fork area,” he said. 

If people do find themselves face-to-face with a mountain lion, or spot one outside their home, there are a few approaches they can take to avoid escalating the situation. 

“Generally, mountain lions don’t want to be seen. They don’t like conflict any more than we do,” Yamashita said. “If people see one near their home near their pets, do your best to scare it away.” 

The best way to scare mountain lions away, Yamashita explained, is to throw things and make noises (such as with car alarms and air horns), as well as to make yourself look big. The key, however, is to not corner the animal. It is essential that they feel they have enough room to flee and get away, or else they might resort to defending themselves. 

“They’re looking for a reason not to be in any conflict with humans — humans are a species that they should inherently fear,” Yamashita said. “Give them their space, don’t necessarily be the aggressor. They will act defensively if they’re cornered or if they feel threatened.” 

“It’s also important to talk with your kids about mountain lion safety,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Public Information Officer Rachael Gonzales wrote in an email to the Post Independent. “Teach your children that if they are outside alone and they see a lion, that they need to stand up and keep facing the lion. They need to yell as loudly as they can to their parents or other adults so that they can see a lion. They must back up slowly until they reach the house or nearest shelter. Tell them to never turn away from the lion and never run.”

Bear season approaches

In addition to mountain lion sightings, residents in the Roaring Fork area can expect bear sightings soon as the winter winds down, usually around March and April. 

Yamashita explained that although warmer temperatures could draw bears out from hibernation earlier in the year, the lack of food available during this time of year could push them back into hibernation for the remainder of the winter. 

“If we get these mild weather conditions persisting, bears will come out and explore,” he said. “Generally, when they find out there’s no food available, they’ll return back to their dens and wait the rest of winter out.” 

Even without natural food sources being available for bears until the spring, artificial food sources found near homes and in trash cans can sometimes be enough to keep the bears awake before the winter’s end, which is why securing trash cans and taking down bird feeders can be just as important during the winter as it is during the summer. 

“Frequently we see the bears locally in Roaring Fork Valley will come out of their dens, will poke around, and instead of finding natural food sources, they’ll be greeted by artificial food sources,” Yamashita said. “If they find food, they’ll stay active … We still encourage people to be bear-aware.” 

The danger also comes from bears growing accustomed to human interaction. The more food sources they find near homes, the more time they’ll spend closer to people, which can lead to a lack of fear of people. This, according to Yamashita, is when conflict begins to occur. 

The state of Colorado only has black bears, though many can appear brown or red due to differences in color phases. 

As far as encounters go, Yamashita’s advice for dealing with black bears remains the same. 

“Be annoying, make them uncomfortable,” he said. 

If you see a mountain lion, bear or have questions, reach out to your local Colorado Parks and Wildlife. You can reach the Glenwood Springs office at 970-947-2920.