Wildlife officials have captured a mountain lion suspected of killing deer at Miller Middle School in Durango.
The mountain lion was caught Saturday and her cub was captured Friday night, said Joe Lewandowski, spokesman with Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Durango.
Both were driven west and released near the Utah line in “good mountain lion habitat,” Lewandowski said.
School Principal Robert Nuhn warned parents of mountain lion activity last week, saying a deer carcass had been found on school grounds. He asked parents to talk to their children about the situation, especially if they walk to and from school during the early hours or late after school for events.
The Durango Police Department was doing extra patrols early in the morning as a safety precaution, and the school increased supervision of students during the lunch hour.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has fielded calls about a mountain lion in the Junction Creek area for almost a year, Lewandowski said. It let the animal coexist until last week, when the deer carcass was found on school grounds and another one was found in a nearby neighborhood, he said.
“We can coexist with wildlife, but in this case we thought it was better for the animals and really for the neighborhood to have them move along,” he said.
Both animals were in good shape, he said.
Mountain lion cubs generally stay with their mothers about a year to learn how to hunt
Lewandowski reminded residents not to put out food for deer, raccoons or turkeys. Doing so lures those animals into populated areas, which in turn lures mountain lions.
“If anyone has concerns about that with a neighbor, they can call us, and we can go talk to them,” he said.
If residents encounter mountain lions, they should make themselves look bigger by raising their arms and anything they have with them, including a mountain bike. They should slowly back away from the animal, without running.
shane@durangoherald.com
