GEORGETOWN, Colorado — Last week, mountain lions were caught on camera outside two homes in Georgetown.
Parker the Snow Dog -- the town's de-facto mayor (and yes, he is actually a dog) -- released video of the cats on Monday afternoon, and warned his constituents to keep their pets safe.
The video above shows the three mountain lions walking by a game camera and later, lurking near some dumpsters in this mountain community.
Georgetown, which is at 8,500' above sea level and is about an hour west of Denver by way of Interstate 70, isn't that strange of a mountain lion habitat.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says these big, reclusive cats typically live in the mountains where they have easy access to the deer that they prey on.
Seeing mountain lions in the wild is rare, but if you do see one, CPW recommends:
- Staying calm and talking firmly to the animal, while moving slowly.
- Stop or back away from the mountain lion slowly, since running may stimulate its instinct to attack. Face the mountain lion as much as possible.
- Do all you can to appear larger by raising your arms and opening your jacket.
- If the mountain lion starts behaving aggressively, throw stones, branches or whatever else is available, while waving and shouting aggressively.
- If the animal attacks you, fight back! Remain standing or try to get back up if the mountain lion knocks you over.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Local stories from 9NEWS