COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE

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1 COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE Ty Petersburg; Wildlife Officer- Clear Creek and Evergreen North Shannon Schaller; Wildlife Biologist Scott Murdoch; Wildlife Biologist- Conifer

2 CREDITS -Jerrie McKee DWM Littleton -Mat Alldredge- Predatory Mammals Researcher; CPW -Various Photographers whose names I don t know

3 Mountain Lion Felis concolor 1. Provide you with some biology and identification 2. Update you on some recent research 3. Management 4. Talk About recent events 5. What you can do to avoid conflict

4 - Cougar - Catamount - Puma - Panther - Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Distribution

5 Physical Description Color- Reddish-brown, paler below Length- Up to 8 feet including their tails Weight- Average from 70 to 150 pounds. Males vs. Females- Females are smaller; lbs Males larger; reaching 200+ in Colorado Tails are about 1/3+ of their total body length

6 Lion Habitat -Lions utilize a wide variety of habitats including montane coniferous forests, foothills shrub communities, canyons, deserts, tropical forests and swamps -Common components of lion habitat in the western U.S. include thick brush, canyons and rocky outcrops -The keys are adequate prey and suitable cover*

7 Behavior and Longevity - Tend to be solitary; Exceptions are usually females with kittens or siblings - May be active any time of day; However, most activity is at twilight hours/dark - Generally Elusive - Wild lions live about 12 years in the wild; up to 25 years in captivity. - Estimated Colorado population is 3,000-7,000 - Very difficult to study given their behavior

8 Diet and Feeding Habits -Main prey source in Colorado is mule -Main prey source in Colorado is mule deer. -Will prey on other species too. - Lions will Cache their prey; bury them under sticks, leaves and grasswhile they feed on the carcass for a number of days

9 Consider Mountain Lions to be similar to REALLY LARGE DOMESTIC CATS

10 Territoriality Home Range Size- From 10 to over 300 square miles. Territorial Defense- Will use scrapes, spraying & fighting. Dispersal of Young- Young will disperse at 1-2 years of age.

11 Just liked domestic catsmountain lions have retractable claws- YOU WILL NOT SEE THEM IN A TRACK! Mountain Lion Track Guide

12 Common tracks often confused with lion tracks (Mountain lion track on right side)

13 Most Common Lion Encounters

14 Captures 79 independent cougars captured 43 Females 15 active in study 36 Males 3 active in study 16 cubs captured

15 Mortalities 55 Mortalities 14 Road kill 21 Human interaction 7 Hunting 6 Unknown 4 intraspecific male and 3 females 3 Natural

16 Do cougars use urban areas Home-Ranges

17 Predator-Prey As of June 2012: Dataset from 53 collared cougars 3723 sampled clusters visited 44% determined to be feeding sites Of these feeding sites: 68% deer 13% elk 19% other (Raccoon, housecat, fox, coyote, domestic dog, skunk) >10% scavenged items

18 Seasonal patterns Predation on deer potentially lower in late winter/spring

19 Seasonal Predation on Deer Summer: newborn fawns Fall/Winter: Adult deer

20 Feeding Rate 93.3 (95% C.I , n = 22 subjects) feeding events/year 62.5 Deer 10.8 Elk 20.1 Non-ungulate Scavenging 11% of feeding events are confirmed scavenging events They all seem to do it

21 EDUCATION Urban Education, Media, Schools, Awareness HUNTING Intentional Lion Hunting w/lion Hounds Opportunistic Hunting TRAP AND/OR EUTHANIZATION Primarily for agricultural production TRAP AND RELOCATION Mainly in urban/metropolitan areas MANAGEMENT

22 Recent Lion Activity In Evergreen Witter Gulch/Snyder Mountain/Echo Hills Mid-December 2014; One dog killed in Circle K area (unconfirmed) ~January 16, 2015; One dog likely killed off of Sinton Road (Echo Hills) ~January 20, 2015; One dog chased/attacked off of Snyder Mountain ~January 21-22, 2015; One dog attacked off Circle K Road Other sightings and caches What is NOT true; CPW did not kill a lion off of a resident s porch and CPW is not tracking 4 aggressive lions in and around Witter Gulch

23 Recent Lion Activity In Evergreen Hiwan and Hiwan Hills Several deer/elk caches found throughout neighborhoods Multiple sightings Likely a female with adolescent kittens

24 Why Are We Having More Sightings/Incidents? Winter Snow will congregate deer/elk to larger groups in lower elevations Tracks are more evident in snow Lions are more readily visible against a white background Feeding Wildlife People feed big game more in winter months (AGAINST THE LAW) Artificially congregate deer/elk into higher densities in predictable patterns Evergreen Mountain Lions live in the mountains Social Media , Facebook, Community Forums sometimes make it seem like there are more sightings, issues than normal Incidents? Anecdotally; we are not having more incidents

25 Living with Mountain Lions Don t Feed Wildlife; Especially deer and elk It Is Illegal It spreads disease Provides a predictable and easier-to-find prey item Take greater care with your pets Do NOT let dogs run free Use a leash The more fencing, the more secure Greater care at twilight hours Remove hiding cover in/around your property Cut back shrubs Avoid rock outcroppings, ledges

26 Encountering a lion Stay calm DO NOT run Maintain Eye Contact Talk calmly yet firmly and back away slowly Leave the lion an escape route Do all you can to appear larger Fight back if the lion attacks In Colorado s recorded history, there have been 2 confirmed mortalities to people due to a lion attack You are FAR more safe in Evergreen than here!

27 Questions? To Contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife Business Hours and regular questions CPW Northeast Region Office Emergencies/After Hours EMERGENCY 911 Colorado State Patrol Denver Dispatch