ESTES PARK, Colo. — Rocky Mountain National Park announced additional closures to rock climbing routes in the Lumpy Ridge Area on Friday after several peregrine falcons showed "aggressive territorial behavior."
Climbing routes on the Left Book, The Bookmark and Bookmark Pinnacle are closed through July 31 to protect the nesting birds, according to a release from park officials.
The birds can cause serious bodily injuries to humans when defending their territories as they can dive at speeds up to 200 mph. Additionally, if a climber disturbs the area around the nest, it could cause the bird to abandon its chick, according to the release.
>> The video above is about how timed entry to begin at RMNP on June 4
"For the safety of both visitors and this federally protected wildlife species these additional closures have been put in place," the release read. "Closures will be monitored regularly and lifted once breeding activity is no longer observed."
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