Mountain Lion Captured Near Dorms On CU-Boulder Campus

A mountain lion, that witnesses say was approximately 4 feet long, was found and tranquilized on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, Wednesday afternoon, the Daily Camera reports.

The cougar found its way into the Kittredge residence hall complex and was spotted in a tree next to a pedestrian bridge around 2 p.m., according to 7News. Officials from Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks as well as Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife were called in while dozens of curious students were sent back inside their residence halls until the animal was contained.

Wildlife officials shot the mountain lion with a tranquilizer dart and after about 10 minutes the cat fell out of the tree and was loaded into a truck, The Denver Post reports. The young male lion was about 110 pounds, roughly a year old and was in healthy condition. Officials planned to fit the animal with a tracking collar upon its release as part of the Front Range Mountain Lion Study.

Jennifer Churchill, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told Fox31 that this cat’s trip to the city wasn’t that unusual. “When they get kicked out of being raised by their mother,” Churchill said, “they tend to move very far and wide, actually looking for new territory.”

Comments

[Nic the wonder puppy]

11:34 AM on 10/07/2011

Cats and you'll find trouble

[Redhunteur]

07:38 AM on 10/07/2011

This is news? Where I live Cougars often cruise college campuses.

[Neil20]

03:55 AM on 10/07/2011

I am happy that for once the officials tranquilized the lion and released it into the wild. Mountain lions need large areas to prowl and search for food. Serious attention must be given to the mountain lion if the species is to survive.

[mikal haley]

10:17 AM on 10/19/2011

commenting on october 19 to this: this article makes the kill crazy state police in ohio look dangerously inept.

[J R M]

01:47 AM on 10/07/2011

When I lived in Utah a cougar wandered into one of the housing areas about a mile from where I lived. I think it only lasted a few minutes before somebody potted it with an elk rifle. Wildlife was called to pick up the carcass. I don't mind bears or coyotes (we have them all the time where I live in Washington), but cougars be allowed in areas with lots of kids and women out playing, walking, and jogging. It helps to maintain a hunting pressure against them because it makes them very wary of people and dogs. The hunters don't get all that many, but they sure educate the survivors.

[Neil20]

03:52 AM on 10/07/2011

People like you must be educated with the fact that mountain lions by nature are predatory and prowl over large areas for food. Their roaming space has been robbed by human beings. It is time that these (and other animals of the wild as well) get back their space. You have weapons to destroy them. They don't. They cannot defend themselves. Mountain lions are becoming extinct and if Americans don't wake up to the call of conservation then many species will go under. I think you ought to change your views and convert to pro-conservation.

[niko73]

03:18 PM on 10/07/2011

" It is time that these (and other animals of the wild as well) get back their space."

How do you propose that be done?

The historic range of the cougar covers the entire US.

[J R M]

12:14 PM on 10/07/2011

Cougars are not endangered. There are a few localized subpopulations that are, but they are not isolated species. Indeed, it proved necessary to import cougars from other populations to Florida to increase genetic diversity and reduce inbreeding problems.

Given the increasing numbers of cougars and their increasing ranging into populated areas, a modest hunting program is strongly indicated. Note I am not talking about an extermination campaign. Cougars are hard to hunt. But a moderate hunting pressure makes them very wary of people - which we need. Experience shows they like to go after women, children, and smaller men.

[jchowell3657]

12:29 AM on 10/07/2011

What's the big deal about a cougar prowling around a college campus? Happens all the time.

[windyriverman]

12:05 AM on 10/07/2011

He was up in the tree checking out the ladies.

[rosasturtles1]

10:53 PM on 10/06/2011

an educated lion???

[boomcat44]

10:40 PM on 10/06/2011

From a distance, it's, "Here Kitty, kitty, kitty."
Up close, it's, "OH S_ _T!!"

[msmith6791]

11:55 PM on 10/06/2011

and don't take it ah..........lion down?

[boomcat44]

12:01 AM on 10/07/2011

Boooo!
That was so bad, I had to laugh.
F/F

[Ed Baggett]

10:07 PM on 10/06/2011

It's a darn good thing Ted Nugent wasn't around !

[lpcrsotp]

09:53 PM on 10/06/2011

And here I thought the University of Colorado's mascot was the buffalo.

[ebeebb]

09:16 PM on 10/06/2011

It was just a leftover Cougar from the WSU-CO game! Maybe partied a little too long after a great win for the COUGS!

[Burst59]

09:05 PM on 10/06/2011

A large full grown mountain lion was found in Chicago in a metropolitan part of town. Unfortunately it was not tranquilized and was killed, but zoo officials beleive it came from South dakota via railroad tracks and into the city.

[kisaten39]

09:03 PM on 10/06/2011

must of smelled the schools lunch

[bmitche]

08:43 PM on 10/06/2011

Good no one was hurt.

[tristanaderion]

08:02 PM on 10/06/2011

Well at least it wasn't a cougar, she was already tranquilized in the library.