Anyone living in northern Durango may want to keep their eyes peeled while going for walks after dark. That is because a mountain lion was spotted prowling around near 31st Street and East Fourth Avenue.
Charlie Dillman, a recent graduate of Durango High School, shot a video of the mountain lion stalking through an intersection near his north Durango home around 11 p.m. Monday, July 8.
“It just moves so effortlessly and gets out of your sight so fast, it’s crazy,” Dillman said.
Despite filming from the safety of his vehicle, Dillman said he still felt intimidated enough to roll up the windows, out of fear the animal might lunge at him.
“I was going to park in the alley behind my house, but I decided to drive around to the front because it freaked me out,” he said. “I had my phone light out and was looking around scared.”
Dillman, who was driving back from planning a backpacking trip, said it was his first mountain lion sighting. It struck him “how powerful these animals are, and that they’re really out there.”
In the aftermath of the sighting, John Livingston, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, discussed why mountain lion sightings are common in Durango, and precautions to take around the animals.
What it comes down to, Livingston said, is that “mountain lions will be where deer are.”
Because Durango has an abundant deer population in and around the city, mountain lions will sometimes follow their prey into residential areas, mostly during their most active hunting hours around dawn and dusk.
“We need people to stop feeding the deer,” Livingston said. “Not only is it illegal but it comes with unintended consequences like luring predators into residential neighborhoods.”
Regardless of that, he said other ways to stay safe from mountain lions in residential neighborhoods is to never walk around after dark without a flashlight, and make consistent noise while outside so cougars don’t get surprised by someone’s presence. Motion-sensing lights around the house are useful as well, because no one knows what might be lurking in the backyard when the dog gets let out late at night.
Should someone encounter a mountain lion, Livingston said it is best to stand their ground because running could trigger its chasing instincts. Try looking as big as possible by flaring a jacket or holding up a child on your shoulders, and be sure to leave the animal an escape route while facing it and trying to back away.
Livingston advised against playing dead or attempting to run away; the animal will catch up. Instead, make loud noises, throw rocks and sticks, and continue to intimidate the animal. If it lunges, fight. The vast majority of people survive mountain lion attacks, and after enough of a struggle, the animal will probably give up.
As scary as that possibility may sound, try not to be afraid. Livingston pointed out that while mountain lion attacks are rare, mountain lion sightings are quite common, and becoming all the more so because of innovations such as apps like Nextdoor and home security technology like Ring doorbells.
“Many critters that have always been around us are just much more visible now,” he said.
A previous version of the article incorrectly stated the way a child should be held when someone encounters a mountain lion.
nmetcalf@durangoherald.com
