Watch ‘nuisance’ mountain lion hiss and snarl as officials relocate it in Colorado
Wildlife officials encountered a mountain lion multiple times in just a few days in Colorado, so they relocated it to a new location where it would have a better chance of living a life far away from people.
Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife suspect the mountain lion grabbed a dog at Yamaguchi Park in Pagosa Springs during the last week of June. The dog survived, officials said July 3 on Twitter.
The lion was spotted again under a porch at a nearby home, officials said.
Officials tranquilized the mountain lion with a dart gun and checked it over to make sure it was healthy before they attached tags to its ears, photos show.
Then they loaded it into a trap and gave it a drug that would reverse the tranquilizer’s effects.
Video shows the mountain lion hissing, snarling and swatting toward officials after it came to inside the cage. One official chuckles as they film the threatening display.
“That is cool,” they say as they film.
Another video shows the lion hopping out of the cage and sauntering off into the woods.
Officials said they released the lion deep within a national forest, “where it will have suitable habitat and plenty of prey.”
“Mountain lions and bears are managed on a two-strike policy in Colorado,” officials said in the post. “This lion was relocated because it was getting too habituated to being in town in public spaces that could present a danger to human safety.
“We sincerely hope we never encounter this lion again and it lives a good life far far from people,” officials added.
This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Watch ‘nuisance’ mountain lion hiss and snarl as officials relocate it in Colorado."
