WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A mountain lion lounging in a tree in Westminster closed down Eaton Street between 112th Avenue and 113th Avenues for a few hours on Tuesday.
Westminster police say neighbors were notified of the mountain lion sighting at around 9 a.m., and officers asked residents to avoid the area while Colorado Parks and Wildlife was called in to safely tranquilize the animal.
"He was just laying in a tree on a tree limb, fairly comfortable," Casey Westbrook of Colorado Parks and Wildlife said. "People were able to see him, but he was just laying on the branch, kind of hanging out, just resting and and being fairly calm and relaxed and like I said, just I think feeling comfortable that it was unseen, even though it obviously was not."
Just before noon Tuesday, Westminster police said the animal had been tranquilized, adding that CPW had plans to relocate it in the mountains west of Castle Rock.
Eaton Street has since reopened.
Westbrook said it's not the first time CPW has gotten calls about this particular feline.
"We've been tracking calls for this what we assume is the same lion for about a week," he said. "This is pretty typical of young male lion behavior, right? So this is kind of their dispersal age. This is where they start to go out, kind of like teenagers, and go look for their own home."
Wildlife experts say this sighting is an isolated incident unrelated to Colorado's drought-driven spike in bear activity this year, and Coloradans shouldn't be alarmed.
"It's just a young cougar that took a few of the wrong choices, direction-wise, and ended up in Westminster," said wildlife biologist Brady Dunne. "Cougars and bears are very different when it comes to entering human habitation — cougars are not looking for trash."
What do to if you spot a mountain lion
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the National Park Service have a few tips on what to do if you come face to face with a mountain lion:
- Stay calm. Hold your ground or back away slowly. Face the lion and stand upright.
- Do not approach a lion. Never approach a mountain lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
- Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up, if possible, so they don't panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.
- Do not crouch down or bend over. Biologists surmise mountain lions don't recognize standing humans as prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. If you're in mountain lion habitat, avoid squatting, crouching, or bending over, even when picking up children.
- Make lots of noise if you come into contact with one, especially at dusk or dawn.
- Install outdoor lighting. Light areas where you walk so you could see a lion if one is present.
- Closely supervise children whenever playing outdoors. Make sure children are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one.
- Keep your pets under control. Roaming pets are easy prey and can attract lions. Bring pets in at night. Do not leave pet food outside as it attracts smaller rodents and raccoons that are eaten by lions. Store garbage securely.
- Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close doors to all outbuildings since inquisitive lions may go inside for a look.
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