Video: Mountain Goats Lick Car On Mount Evans
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- There's a growing problem with humans and wildlife on Mount Evans, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials. They shared video of two goats and a couple kids licking a car.
"This is unnatural behavior for mountain goats," CPW officials tweeted.
Mount Evans is one of the best places in Colorado to see mountain goats -- which were first brought to our state in the 1940s. But wildlife officials say they are seeing a disturbing trend in interactions between humans and wildlife.
Last week, a mountain goat climbed right onto the hood of a car.
"[Wildlife officials] have observed an increasing trend in habituated mountain goat and bighorn sheep behavior. It is likely a result of people feeding wildlife or getting to close to them while taking pictures," CPW stated on their website.
"People have gone as far as attempting to pick up mountain goat kids and we have seen groups of mountain goats surrounding and following people, which is far beyond the natural behavior of these animals," Wildlife Officer Joe Nicholson.
Mountain goats been observed engaging in other unnatural behavior, including putting their heads inside open car windows, running towards people holding food, entering restrooms and tolerating large groups of people surrounding them to take photographs and videos.
Wildlife officials are now using hazing tactics on the mountain goats to try to reinstate their natural fear of humans.
"The hazing tactics used include sound and direct contact from tasers, cattle prods, paintball guns and employing the use of K9 Samson to haze offending animals away from people and cars," the website states.
CPW is reminding the public not to feed wildlife and to maintain safe distances from them.
