Mountain Lions Preying On Larimer County Llamas
LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A Larimer County couple says mountain lions are preying on their llamas. They want to warn other mountain residents the lions are out there.
The llamas were attacked in a mountain neighborhood south of Carter Lake in Larimer County.
The Division of Wildlife says the foothills of northern Colorado are prime lion habitat -- a fact of life when living in the mountains.
The couple said ultimately they want to make sure lions in their area don't hurt a person.
Georgina and Keith Minto have four llamas in the mountain subdivision in Larimer County. She says mountain lions have killed four of her llamas in the past nine months.
"Two weeks ago we lost two in one night," Georgina Minto said. "It was definitely a mountain lion that ripped them open pretty good."
"Now I'm losing my pets, plus it's a business with us, too," Keith Minto said.
He says there aren't enough deer for the lions and partly blames wildlife management for his lion "problem" and wants the state to do more trapping.
"Hell, send them to Alaska," Keith Minto said. "I just don't want them on my property."
The Division of Wildlife set a lion trap but didn't get the cat. The trap is gone now because wildlife officials say the chance of catching the same problem lion grow slim in a matter of days.
They say the Mintos need to build protective enclosures and perhaps add some dogs to the mix or other security measures. The Mintos say they will try dogs and fencing, but they're concerned that people are in danger too, especially children.
"There was never a problem years ago. My family has homesteaded here since Calvin Cooledge was in office," Georgina Minto said.
The Division of Wildlife spokesperson for the area says every year lions kill some livestock and they haven't seen any unusual increase in lion activity or had troubling repeat incidents recently.
The Mintos want their neighbors and other people who live in the foothills to be aware the lions are there and to protect children and pets.
