{"id":1320285,"date":"2020-05-31T18:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T00:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=996916"},"modified":"2020-05-31T18:15:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T00:15:00","slug":"parks-and-wildlife-advises-sticking-to-leash-laws-as-wild-animal-sightings-increase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/parks-and-wildlife-advises-sticking-to-leash-laws-as-wild-animal-sightings-increase\/","title":{"rendered":"Parks and Wildlife advises sticking to leash laws as wild animal sightings increase"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"924\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/lions-atd-021120-e1581461742328-1024x924.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/lions-atd-021120-e1581461742328-1024x924.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/lions-atd-021120-e1581461742328-300x271.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/lions-atd-021120-e1581461742328-768x693.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/lions-atd-021120-e1581461742328.jpg 1042w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Matt Yamashita, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, caught this image of a mountain lion in a residential area in the lower Fryingpan Valley a couple of years ago.<\/strong><br \/><em>Matt Yamashita\/courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Wild animals \u2014 from mountain lions to black bears \u2014 are being spotted more frequently around Garfield County, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) encourages residents to enjoy the show \u2014 from a distance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Increased sightings are likely a result of people being at home more than usual as a result of the pandemic, CPW spokesperson Randy Hampton said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they\u2019re seeing is more of what goes on in their neighborhood when they would typically be at work or school,\u201d Hampton explained.<\/p>\n<p>Coloradans and wildlife share a special bond, with many residents citing access to wild lands and wildlife viewing as their favorite aspects of the Centennial State. CPW works to support those interests, but also provides guidance to ensure the safety of both animals and people.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row gspi-donation gspi-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Walking the dog<\/h4>\n<p>Keeping your dog on a leash could be the difference between an animal attack and an animal sighting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of those problematic encounters start with people saying one thing, \u2018I was walking my dog,\u2019\u201d Hampton said. \u201cDogs have a natural instinct to run off and chase stuff, which can create a conflict with wild animals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unlike domesticated animals, wildlife is always on the defensive and a charging dog can create a situation where the wild animal feels it needs to fight back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hampton said many people justify not using a leash by pointing out how well they\u2019ve trained their dog.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if your dog was doing the right thing, a wild animal may react to its presence, and it could charge,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo, it\u2019s really important to keep your dog leashed.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Maintain a safe distance<\/h4>\n<p>While the 6-feet rule may work for COVID-19, determining the proper amount of space between you and an animal requires observation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a rule of thumb: If you are close enough to the animal for it to change its behavior, you need to back up,\u201d Hampton said. \u201cWild animals want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taking photos can be a great way to share wildlife experiences with friends and family, but people should rely on their lens zoom rather than closing the distance with their feet, he added.<\/p>\n<p>When wandering the wilderness, make enough noise to ensure the&nbsp; wildlife knows you\u2019re coming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last thing you want to do out in the wild is sneak up on a mountain lion or a black bear,\u201d Hampton said.<\/p>\n<p>Rabies and distemper can both be causes for serious concern, but with proper distance and observation, Coloradoans can avoid both.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven smaller animals are going to want to stay away from you,\u201d Hampton said. \u201cSo if they\u2019re approaching you, that\u2019s a concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sick and injured animals may be weak, but they will still defend themselves if they feel threatened. CPW advises people to avoid these situations altogether.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Who you gonna call?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Report unusual behavior and animals wandering residential areas, but for the most part, just enjoy the view, Hampton said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing wildlife doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you need to notify somebody,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut if you see something that may be a problem, please give us a call.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To contact the CPW office in Glenwood Springs, call 970-947-2920. CPW headquarters in Denver can be reached at 303-297-1192. For more information about Colorado\u2019s abundant wildlife, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cpw.state.co.us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/www.cpw.state.co.us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"mailto:ifredregill@postindependent.com\">ifredregill@postindependent.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/parks-and-wildlife-advises-sticking-to-leash-laws-as-wild-animal-sightings-increase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matt Yamashita, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, caught this image of a mountain lion in a residential area in the lower Fryingpan Valley a couple of years ago.Matt Yamashita\/courtesy photo Wild animals \u2014 from mountain lions to black bears \u2014 are being spotted more frequently around Garfield County, and Colorado Parks and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1320285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-25 07:22:05","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":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}