LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — Months before a mountain lion killed a woman hiking in Larimer County on New Year's Day, a Glen Haven couple said their dog was attacked and killed by a mountain lion in the same area.
Mary Crone said she was on a walk with her Wheaten Terrier on October 29 when she noticed a mountain lion walking beside them on West Creek Road.
"As we were walking, I looked over to my right, my dog was right at my ankle, on command, and within 24 inches, I mean, I could reach out and touch it. It was a mountain lion just walking beside us," Mary said. "I started screaming and yelling at it, and it didn't flinch. It didn't do anything. I was waving my arms, and just out of the blue, it just grabbed the neck of my dog."
She said she and her husband, Frank, have lived in the area for more than 35 years and regularly hike on trails near their home. Mary said in the last 25 years, she has only seen a mountain lion once before.
The couple reported the attack to law enforcement the same day. Mary said she was concerned about the mountain lion's behavior and said it did not seem to be scared of her.
"I shared with them, you know, my concern that this mountain lion was not afraid of a human being. It was not afraid of us at all," Mary said. "It kept eye contact with me the whole time. The whole time."
Mary said a neighbor's camera captured video of a mountain lion on West Creek Road moments after the attack. It is not clear if the mountain lion seen in the video is the same one that attacked her dog.
Mary's dog was killed in the same area where Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said a hiker was killed by a mountain lion on New Year's Day. On Monday, CPW identified the hiker as 46-year-old Kristen Kovatch from Fort Collins. As Denver7 previously reported, a group of hikers on the Crosier Mountain Trail came across a mountain lion near her body around 12:15 p.m. on January 1.
Mountain lion activity in Glen Haven area
CPW said it has received five reports of mountain lion activity near Glen Haven since the end of October, including three dog attacks and two lion sightings reported by hikers.
On October 28, CPW said a mountain lion attacked and killed an off-leash dog hiking with its owner on McGraw Ranch Road in Estes Park. CPW said the dog's owner reported the incident 23 days later.
CPW said Mary's incident was reported to the wildlife agency on October 30. A CPW officer responded to the scene but was unable to find any mountain lions.
On November 12, CPW said a man was trail running on Crosier Mountain Trail when he saw a mountain lion in front of him in the trees. The man reported he hazed the lion with a tree branch and threw objects at it. CPW said officers responded to the area but could not find any mountain lions either.
CPW said a couple was hiking near Crosier Mountain Trail summit on November 30 when they spotted two mountain lions, one in front of them and another behind them. CPW said the couple successfully hazed the lions by yelling and throwing rocks. CPW was again unable to find mountains lions after responding to the area.
Lastly, CPW said a man living off County Road 43 in Glen Haven found a mountain lion attacking his dog in his yard on December 23. The wildlife agency said the man shot and killed the 3-year-old male lion. A CPW officer responded and no citations were issued.
CPW investigation into hiker's death
During a press conference on Monday, CPW said it euthanized two mountain lions found near the scene of the hiker's death. CPW said the two lions were a male and a female, believed to be siblings, that were around 12 months old and healthy. The agency said human DNA was found on all four paws of the male mountain lion, while no human DNA was found on the female lion.
"One lion was found at the attack site and was shot and ran off. It was later euthanized by CPW officers on the ground. A second lion was found nearby and was also euthanized by CPW officers on the ground," CPW spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said.
CPW said officers spotted a third lion at the attack site later that evening, but was unable to track it down. CPW's Northeast Region Manager Mark Leslie said the agency has given up its efforts to find the mountain lion. It's unclear if the third lion was another sibling or the mother.
"There is still a concern, obviously, because that animal was in fairly close proximity to the scene as well. But right now, we can't identify that animal particularly so we don't know. So we will be very hyper vigilant in that area, and responding like we do always to reports, calls, those types of situations," Leslie said.
In the meantime, the Crones said they are concerned CPW has not found the third lion that was potentially involved in the hiker's death. The couple also expressed concern about recent mountain lion sightings in the area.
"Based on the reports they were getting, this was a really escalating situation, and when three cats are like chasing a couple around and trying to corner them and stuff, I think that's deadly serious," Frank said.
Mary said she was lucky to make it out safe after the attack on her dog.
"I know that that could've been me, that could have been me that was up on the mountain on the first of the year," she said. "I just don't think we should be taking it lightly. I don't think we should just be saying, this is, this is nature. I think that these mountain lions are desensitized toward human beings. They were coming up to humans, and I think that's a problem that CPW needs to investigate and to move forward on."
During Monday's press conference, reporters pressed CPW on what the agency has been doing to protect trail users in the area, given the number of sightings in recent months.
Leslie said CPW relies on timely reports of mountain lion activity from the public to keep people safe.
"We are constantly thinking about our procedures and policies," Leslie said. "Some of these reports were well, some of them were 20 days cold before we ever found out about them. Some were two or three days cold before we found out about them, and by the time a response would have been made on the site of where the incident took place, there wouldn't be any lions there to deal with."
Van Hoose said while people should always remain cautious outdoors, the recent mountain lion activity is standard for the area.
