LONGMONT, Colo. — Wildlife officers have relocated a young male mountain lion that was found taking a nap underneath an SUV inside of an open garage in Longmont Monday afternoon.
The animal was spotted just before 5 p.m. on Steele Street, which is near Highway 66 and Hoover Street in north Longmont, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) spokesperson Jason Clay.
“This was the first report of a mountain lion in Longmont since May 2019,” Clay said. “It doesn’t mean there haven’t been mountain lions there before, it just means it hasn’t been reported to us.”
>>> Watch the video above to learn about the elusive mountain lion.
Officers from the Longmont Police Department helped CPW tranquilize the animal in the garage. The mountain lion has since been released in the Arapaho National Forest in northern Colorado.
Clay said mountain lion sightings are more common in Boulder, Niwot and Lyons – communities west of Longmont.
“Mountain lions do utilize our urban areas fairly often for resources,” Clay said. “They’ll go after livestock or even domestic pets, so having mountain lions in our urban areas is not unusual.”
Clay said people who spot mountain lions should call CPW so wildlife officers can monitor activity and help mitigate potential human and wildlife conflicts.
“It could be a dangerous situation for both people and mountain lions,” Clay said.
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