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Cougar attacks are a normal, common, thing in Colorado.
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No they are not....Not according to experts and the Durango Herald....... Here's the link, and here's a small part of the article for those that want to cut to the quick of it....
The Link......
Where lions tread
The just of it.....
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As the weather warms and hikers and mountain bikers yield to the siren song of our many scenic trails, they might stumble on a surprise encounter with a fierce and stealthy predator.
But probably not.
Despite their nasty reputation, mountain lions are a fairly timid ruler of the animal kingdom when it comes to human encounters, data suggest.
The oversized cats are responsible for only two confirmed deaths and 14 attacks causing injury during the last 20 years in Colorado, according to the state Division of Wildlife.
That pales in comparison to the 4 million people who are attacked by domestic dogs annually across the nation, said Randy Hampton, spokesman for the DOW in Denver.
“It is one of those critters that draw an incredible amount of attention from the public and the media,” Hampton said. “We may deal with two incidents a year.
“That said, they are a top-level predator in the Colorado food chain, OTHER than humans.”
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Now, I admit there is a minute possibility of an attack in areas where Cougar numbers are high and natural prey numbers are low. That is not the case here in Wisconsin. The article in the Herald restates my previous post that one has a much greater risk of being attacked and killed by the neighbors dog than we do of being attacked by cougars.....this even in areas of high densities of cougars. More folks die every year from bee stings than have ever been killed by cougars in this country.....and yet I have not seen anyone that insists on carrying a can of wasp spray in a holster every time they go outside. I believe I'm much safer in the woods of Wisconsin than anywhere else in this vast country of ours......even when I'm unarmed.