The mountain lion sightings have prompted a county-wide alert.
Residents of the small town of Edwards, Colorado, are on high-alert this week after news broke of several mountain lion sightings in the area. It's currently estimated that anywhere from eight to 10 mountain lions reside in close proximity to the town.
Two dogs have already been attacked and one resident came face-to-face with a mountain lion outside his home.
This large number of sightings has prompted Eagle County to send out alert notifications and trail warnings. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are urging the public to use extreme caution around the area.
"We urge residents to be extremely cautious because lions are large, powerful predators and can be very dangerous if they've lost their natural fear of people," said District Wildlife Manager Matt Yamashita. "We are monitoring the situation very closely. If you live in Edwards and the surrounding area, we strongly recommend extra vigilance and advise you to report lion sightings or conflicts to CPW immediately."
The news comes just weeks after a Fort Collins runner had a life-threatening run-in with a mountain lion. (You can read his full story here.)
These aren't coincidences, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife; local mountain lion sightings have increased. In an interview with the Vail Daily, District Wildlife Manager Craig Wescoatt had this to say:
"We are seeing a big increase in the number of lion reports and an especially big increase in the reports of lions in groups. All of this happened in the last ten years, for sure, and really more in the last five years. Lions are a lot more tolerant of one another than we previously thought."
Moving the mountain lions could be a potential option, but it poses its own set of risks. Moving them to another area of the state could threaten residents of those communities; it could also put the animals under high stress which could result in death.
If you live in the Eagle County area, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released a list of recommended measures to take should you come across a mountain lion. If you do spot a mountain lion, report it to Colorado Parks and Wildlife at (970)-824-6501.
What do you think? Have you seen any mountain lions so far this year? Let us know in the comments below.
