CAÑON CITY — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is investigating after a man who killed a mountain lion near Cañon City last month is claiming self-defense.
It happened on September 26 after a CPW officer responded to a report of an aggressive mountain lion that was killed by a man with a shovel. The officer found the man with a dead mountain lion on the hood of his car at a campground west of Cañon City.
CPW says the mountain lion was a female who weighed about 95 pounds.
According to CPW, the man told them he was sitting outside with his dog on the night of September 25 when the mountain lion approached. The man told CPW the mountain lion got within 10 feet and his dog engaged. The man said he then struck the mountain lion in the head with the shovel.
CPW says the officer found the man was in fear of life and acted in self-defense because the mountain lion was acting unusual and extremely aggressive. They also say the mountain lion had an injury on her front right paw and scratches along her back.
Because the man was not injured in the incident, CPW says it does not qualify as a mountain lion attack under their guidelines.
CPW says while mountain lion attacks are rare in the state, and there have only been 25 since 1990, it is important to avoid potential encounters.
To reduce the risk of problems with mountain lions on or near your property, CPW urges you to do the following:
- make lots of noise if you come and go during dusk to dawn, the times mountain lions are most active
- install outside lighting where you walk so you can see if a mountain lion is there
- supervise children whenever they play outdoors and make sure they are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn
- teach children what to do if they encounter a mountain lion
- landscape or remove vegetation to eliminate hiding places for mountain lions
- never feed any wildlife
- bring pets in at night and don't feed them outside
- store all garbage securely
- place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night
To learn more about living with mountain lions, visit CPW's website.
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