{"id":16557,"date":"2019-07-10T10:26:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T16:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyhinews.com\/?p=58773"},"modified":"2019-07-10T10:26:53","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T16:26:53","slug":"steamboat-womans-run-in-with-mountain-lion-serves-as-reminder-to-stay-vigilant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/local-news\/steamboat-womans-run-in-with-mountain-lion-serves-as-reminder-to-stay-vigilant\/","title":{"rendered":"Steamboat woman\u2019s run-in with mountain lion serves as reminder to stay vigilant"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
If you encounter a mountain lion, make noise, make yourself appear larger and don\u2019t approach it. If a lion behaves aggressively, throw objects at it and fight back if it attacks.<\/strong>
File Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS \u2014 At 9 p.m. Saturday, Steamboat resident Julia Dordoni found herself singing as loudly as she could as darkness fell on the Spring Creek Trail.<\/p>\n

Dordoni had been mountain biking downhill by herself on the popular trail just outside of city limits when a mountain lion stopped her in her tracks about two-and-a-half miles from the Amethyst Drive Trailhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just walking on the trail,\u201d she said. \u201cI came down the trail, and there was a curve. As soon as I came around the curve, it was right in front of me, walking in the direction that I was going, away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dordoni explained that it then disappeared around a bend directly in front of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t see it anymore. I didn\u2019t know if it went in the bushes or if it was still waiting on the trail,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Without seeing where the cat went and without a light source, she didn\u2019t want to continue down the trail. She walked backwards to get away from it, then dialed 911. Dispatchers advised her to make as much noise as she could, so she sang to herself. About 45 minutes later, a police officer arrived to walk out with her. <\/p>\n

Dordoni said she believed the mountain lion was full grown and about 6 feet long with a 3-foot tail.<\/p>\n

Living with lions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Kyle Bond said mountain lions can be found throughout Routt County. Though, there aren\u2019t certain areas where mountain lions absolutely do or do not exist in the county, he explained. The animals follow the food, and here, their main food source is mule deer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have noticed that there is increased activity along the Steamboat front particularly,\u201d Bond said. \u201cIt seems like there have been more sightings and encounters in that area and also south of town around the Whitewood and the Twentymile region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bond said this could be because there are more mountain lions in the area. An increase in seasonal recreation on the land could also contribute.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the increase in the amount of recreation, the increase in the amount of people going out in the woods, the chances of seeing a lion or having a lion encounter with a person is subsequently higher, as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When living and playing in mountain lion habitat, there are steps you can take<\/a> to live with and avoid a bad experience with a mountain lion. This includes keeping trash and recycling secure, which can pique a mountain lion\u2019s interest in an area, Bond said. Avoid tossing scraps outside or feeding pets outdoors, which can attract smaller animals that lions prey on, such as raccoons.<\/p>\n

You should ensure vegetation around your home is trimmed to prevent a mountain lion from taking shelter or cover near a home, according to Parks and Wildlife. Consider installing outdoor lighting around walkways. Ground-level windows and doors should be closed and locked, and pets and children should be under supervision when playing outside.<\/p>\n

On the trail, consider when mountain lions are most likely to be active. Bond explained that, while mountain lions are active throughout the day, they\u2019re most active in the early morning and late evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf folks are outside recreating in those times, they need to be aware that there\u2019s an increased chance for an encounter with a lion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Parks and Wildlife recommends carrying a light, noisemakers and pepper spray in the woods and keeping dogs on a leash.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything to protect yourself or give yourself some time and distance from a lion and to let a lion know that you\u2019re in the area by making noise and whatnot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dordoni, who hits the trail almost daily, said, from now on, she\u2019s never biking without those items. She also plans to avoid mountain biking at dusk and recommends others head out with a group.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom now on, I\u2019m packing a bag to put on my bike with a knife, a blow horn, a whistle, mace and a portable phone charger, and I\u2019m not going mountain biking with those things ever again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

To reach Eleanor Hasenbeck, call 970-871-4210, email ehasenbeck@SteamboatPilot.com<\/a> or follow her on Twitter @elHasenbeck<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

via:: Sky-Hi News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you encounter a mountain lion, make noise, make yourself appear larger and don\u2019t approach it. If a lion behaves aggressively, throw objects at it and fight back if it attacks.File Photo STEAMBOAT SPRINGS \u2014 At 9 p.m. Saturday, Steamboat resident Julia Dordoni found herself singing as loudly as she could as darkness fell on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16557","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-12 19:08:48","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}