And not the good kind of cougars, either.
A two-year-old 110 pound mountain lion was tranquilized and taken safely away from a house in WAITASECONDHOLYFRAKKINGHALEAKALA it was in Boulder!
Wow. I was just driving down the road a little while ago where the cat was found! There’s an elementary school near there, too, and it was in lockdown while they nabbed the kitteh.
The Daily Camera article online also has nice videos about mountain lions, too.
We go hiking in this area, and I figured the odds of seeing a big cat are pretty small. I think I’ll pay somewhat closer attention now. Yikes.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I used to work for a guy that lived on the mountainside north of Boulder. He told me that he occasionally had mountain lions perched on the roof of his garage when he left in the morning.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
not that this has anything to do with anything…but!
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Journey%27s_End
look at the bottom of the cast list for the episode
May 16th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Pepper spray it just not for bears!
Remember if you go hiking with Canis Major and Minor you’ll probably be given a heads up before an attack or they may scare the cat off.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Hey BA, you and your wife need one of those backwards facing masks to ward off mountain lions. They’re so stealthy, you’ll never know till they bite your neck, but with a backwards facing mask, they’ll be more cautious. I know because I used to live in the foothills and canyons of Southern California and when we went hiking, we would remember our masks.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
In many places out west (Tucson, AZ for example), mountain lions regularly come down out of the mountains and wander around on peoples porches, looking in windows etc. You may be a tough dude, but if you’re attacked from behind by 150 lbs of hardened muscle and razor blades, you’re in deep do-do.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Remember the mountain lion caught in Chicago a few weeks ago? Probably dropped there by space aliens.
I’m in North Carolina. We’re not supposed to have mountain lions, but few of us would be surprised if they turned up in the western mountains. We do have bears, though, not just in the mountains, and every year a few young males meander into an urban area looking for food, drink, and a party.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Guessing that wasn’t on the brochure when you were looking at the area,heh. It’s been an issue up that way for a while, esp in the canyon. They’ve been known to take dogs and other pets, but I think they generally leave people alone.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I never understand why they make a big deal out of wild animals coming to the city. Animals tend to roam around, it’s what they do for a living.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I lived in British Columbia for awhile, Mountain Lions aren’t so bad. Wolverines, now they’re just mean.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Umm… Phil… you moved to a place where mountain lions and cougars and bears live… you should expect to see them (or hear about them). Even growing up there as kids we knew (or were told) to watch out for them…
Here where I live in East Coastlandia we have coyotes, bears, fishers, etc… a part of living in the country…
May 16th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
When I lived in Lakewood, mountain lions were routinely spotted in and round Boulder and Golden, too, especially on Hwy 58 for some reason. I never saw one until a juvenile male showed up in my backyard here in California a few years back. Had bears last year. And tiger (swallowtails) most years — for those of you who must complete the saying.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Interesting, BA, that you used two names for the same critter, “cougar” in the title but “mountain lion” in the text. I grew up in Montana where “mountain lion” was standard but now live in Washington (state) where it’s a cougar — even here in Husky country on the west side of the mountains.
A few years ago one of my coworkers had the standard Microsoft wallpaper picture of a cougar on his computer screen. When noticed it, I asked another guy, whom I knew was also a former Montanan, what it was. He had to hesitate a minute before getting what I was after and saying “mountain lion”. Of course several others then spoke up and said “cougar”. What surprised me was the guy at the other end of the row who shouted out “puma!” He’s from Arizona.
Cougar sitings do seem to be increasing, at least around here. We visit Port Townsend, WA regularly and they’ve been seen right in town. Of course the place is full of urban deer so perhaps that attracts them!
May 16th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I’ve had alligators in my neighborhood.
You may have guessed I don’t live in Colorado.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
And not the good kind of cougars, either.
One of those times I disagree, Phil. They are the ‘good’ kind of Cougar. Best kind, I’d venture! I’m glad the general reaction from the people who saw him was positive. Not good to have him wandering Boulder, of course. But at least the ending was more educational than tragic.
Cheers
May 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I read the title and thought “wow, Pamela Anderson is visiting Boulder?”
May 16th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
The Chicago lion, puma, cougar suffered the fate of most of these wild critters when they get too deep into human space: the police shot it to death.
We are encroaching on the territories of wild animals, and the heating of the planet, drought, and pollution-caused environmental die offs alters the ecosystems enough to deprive some of the larger beasts of the prey they need to survive.
So walk lightly and respectfully around your neighborhood, Dr. Plait; but do keep your eyes open…
May 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Hey Phil, they are all around the front range – and, they attack dogs too.
Hiking with your dog off-leash (yes, I do it sometimes) is more risky for you but especially the dog.
Keep an eye out and keep the kiddies close by.
But, be sure to enjoy the scenery!
May 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Cougar, Mountain Lion, Puma, and Panther all refer to the same species.
Depending on where you are they’re not particularly dangerous to humans. They’re picky eaters and we’re not on the menu. In some areas, like Vancouver Island, they are dangerous to humans although they prefer ones they can carry off like children. There was, and may still be, a program to transfer cougars from Idaho to Vancouver Island in an effort to breed the viscousness out of them there. The Idaho cougars are apparently among the most human shy around.
If they’re hungry enough they will go after a human and in that case you likely will never know what hit you as they come from behind and go straight for the neck. There was a case like this in Banff a few years ago. IIRC the cougar was trapped in the townsite by a pack of wolves. When it got hungry enough it took out a woman who was out skiing alone.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Cougar sgmougar.
what you should really be scared of is polar bears. Well, when you live in Norway you should be.
What’s a little (ok, big) kitty compared to Friggin’ Polar bears, roaming the street, crushing cars, rubbing up lampposts and bending down to the street, while eating a few dogs?
Granted, it doesn’t happen often, and the only polar bears I’ve seen were in a zoo, but it does happen, even in my own little town.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
OK I found this list of attacks and there are actually a fair number of attacks in Colorado. More than likely a factor of a largish population in contact with a large wild area.
http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html
May 16th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Another mountain lion was tranquilized in Boulder on May 3. (It happens pretty frequently west of Broadway.) One of my colleagues, who happened to be at a seminar I attended last night, was one of the homeowners in the area where the mountain lion was hanging out. He brought along some wonderful photos of the mountain lion just chillin’ under an overhang right outside the window from my colleague’s desk; and a charming one of the attractive blonde Wildlife Officer, Claire, with the (tranquilized) snoozing mountain lion’s head in her lap.
One was spotted about 5 blocks from my house in North Boulder two years ago, doubtless tempted by the mule deer fawns that show up in the area in the Spring. It was the first one I’ve heard of that ventured east of Broadway.
Just one of the things you have to be prepared for living this close to the mountains.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Don’t worry. They’ll be extinct soon. That’s what happens when Man moves in somewhere.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
While being attacked by a mountain lion while hiking is generally less likely than falling off a cliff, it’s not so unlikely that it can be entirely ignored (in the entire US, about a half dozen attacks and slightly less than one fatality per year). Most mountain lions avoid humans (we’re big and don’t move like their normal prey, plus mountain lions who do attack humans tend to become examples of natural selection in action), but there are always the occasional exceptions.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Why does it always have to be “cougars exclusive-OR humans”? As you Americans finally catch up to us Canadians in terms tree-ing your cities cougars have started moving back east and the follow the deer into the cities. But cougars are notoriously shy animals (somewhat like my cat who is currently hiding under my bed as they mow the lawn outside my apartment). More than likely they know that you’re there and are avoiding you even more deftly than you avoid that cell-spam you blogged about before. We should be doing everything possible to help the cougar retain their former range, as well as educating people how to act with them just like we do with bears.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Yet another reason to not let housecats go outside in Boulder.
And a friend of mine was chased by a cougar while mountain biking just south of Boulder.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Hey, the cops just shot a bear in the city of Battle Creek Michigan today.
It’s part of the great animal conspiracy.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I live in Chicago – seriously close to the lake and WAAAAAAY into extremely urban territory. We had a cougar near the elementary school where I work a few weeks ago (the one mentioned above). First cougar sighted in Illinois is over 100 years, and now there have been several others. This one was shot by the cops (after Animal Control tried to find it all day, and after they decided it had moved on, someone saw it again and called the cops – who aren’t as well prepared to trank cougars as Bolder cops might be).
This cougar, based on DNA, likely came from South Dakota and was about a two year old male. This is the age when they start to roam to look for their own territory and a mate. Cougars are very territorial, and males do not share their territory, so young males have to roam to look for “available” territory that is not already claimed. So they are pushing into new areas.
What we’ve been hearing is the population of cougars in areas like South Dakota is growing (after being down for a long time), and has gotten to the point where these areas are supporting the largest population of cougars it can (based on the large territory a male cougar occupies), so they are spreading out into new areas, like Illinois.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
And not the good kind of cougars, either.
How do you tell the difference? Do the good come up and sing a little ditty about Jack and Dianne?
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…
May 17th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Thinks that had me concerned walking around the mountains of Bolder number 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10159319@N00/2498128631/
But seriously, it’s such a pretty place. I wish I could move there. But what with not being a citizen and all. Two places I’d want to live in the USA – Colorado (Bolder) and Arizona (Sedona). So pretty. But one gets so hot, the other so cold.
You’re still a lucky sun-of-a-gun to be there.
Philip
May 17th, 2008 at 2:38 am
The biggest wild kitties in my area (NW corner of NJ) are Bobcats, but I’ve yet to see one.
I have, however, had to shoo a 500-pound black bear off my deck after he knocked over a garbage can full of sunflower seed (for the birds). He looked so disappointed, looking over his shoulder, as he slowly retreated to the woods.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:10 am
“Yet another reason to not let housecats go outside in Boulder.”
You won’t find an ecology lab on the planet that says you should let your domestic animals roam. Cats kill for sport, dogs form packs and kill for food – yes, even a little Peke will do that – and both will happily bring diseases back into your house for you. The prairie dog population in Colorado harbors plague, and stupid people are going to learn about that in a big way soon.
Out here in the sticks, strays are simply shot, because it’s the right thing to do. So be advised that if your dog or cat goes missing, it might not be a wild animal that ate him. It might be a car tire or a rifle at work.
Don’t be foolish. Control your pets.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Take a look at the statistics. The animal responsible for the most lethal attacks is; Homo Sapiens.
Why do people fear the most unlikely accidents, when they, without a care, venture out into the morning traffic?
May 17th, 2008 at 7:26 am
“Why do people fear the most unlikely accidents, when they, without a care, venture out into the morning traffic?”
Because we’re genetically predisposed over tens of thousands of years of evolution to greatly fear being attacked by animals and getting eaten. And after reading some of the descriptions of the remains of people who’ve been killed and fed on by mountain lions (I’ll spare readers the gory details) I agree. It’s horrific on a deeply visceral level that has nothing to do with statistics. While I intellectually know that death in a car is a horrible tragedy, it doesn’t ook me out the way that getting eaten does. That’s why there are far more horror movies about monsters that eat you than monsters that make you die in a car crash. (Only “Christine” and “Maximum Overdrive” come to mind for the second category.)
May 17th, 2008 at 10:21 am
AH, big cats trying to make a living. As humans overflow into forests, etc, such encounters are bound to increase. Working in a Georgia State PArk I am required to prevent people killing critters in the park. Seems many humans who come to Rep Top think it an imposition to have to share this planet with anything that’s not cute and cuddly, such as snakes, wasps and the rare bear. One lady, incensed that we had to cull our deer population to prevent their starving to death, asked one of our employees,
“How can you possibly kill such adorable creatures?” to which he answered,
“Well Mam, you just point the gun and pull the trigger,,,”.
Deer are not so adorable when in their breeding season. They too can be killers. On the other hand, those nasty copperhead snakes, which are mildly venomous, are regularly beaten to death and shot, even though they try to avoid humans and are only about 10 percent as venomous as rattlers, meaning that even children who have been bitten by a copperhead and untreated with anti-venom have survived.
Snakes really irritate people,,,must be a superstitious remnant.
GAry 7
PS: Just don’t try to pet the nice , soft, furry cougar,,,unless it’s already fed.
May 17th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Don’t be foolish. Control your pets.
I wish that it was required by law to have that tattooed on your body before being licenced to own a cat or dog.
May 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
On the subject of urban wildlife, my wife and I observed a colony of six red foxes while we walked home at dusk from a Light Rail station in central Denver last evening. They were in the open in a small green area which is only a couple of hundred yards from an interstate highway.
May 18th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Okay, since everybody else has danced around it, I’ll say it. If you think you’re in danger of being attacked on these hikes, carry a freaking gun. You don’t need a .500 S&W mag to stop a mountain lion (or a two-legged attacker, either.) A lowly .357 mag will do the job, and cost a lot less in the bargain.
May 18th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Yesterday morning I saw the most deadly wild animal in North America approaching the road in one the most densely populated towns in the state (5 sq mi, 40,000 people.) I think dogs (pets, not feral dogs) kill more. And that’s not counting Lyme Disease. Fortunately, I wasn’t driving too fast, and it stopped before climbing up on the road, so I was safe enough. It was a white-tailed deer, of course.