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Three mountain lions killed after preying on llamas in Missouri Heights

Glenwood Springs Post Independent staff report

Three mountain lions were killed earlier this month after they preyed on and killed three llamas in Missouri Heights.

The llamas were killed on a ranch in Missouri Heights over the course of June 9 to 10, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials.

The landowner contacted CPW after the lions killed one llama on June 9. CPW officials set a trap for the lions on June 10, but the lions did not go into the trap, and two more llamas were killed that night.



An agent for the landowner, who had been called to help protect the livestock, observed five lions on the second night.

“The agent for the landowner that was up there that night, in accordance with protection of livestock, ended up shooting and killing three of them,” said Matt Yamashita, a District Wildlife Manager for CPW. “The following day CPW went up and seized those carcasses.”




Colorado Department of Agriculture — Wildlife Services ran hounds on the scent trail for the remaining two lions, but they were unable to catch up to them.

CPW received an additional report of an apparantly healthy mountain lion passing through a neighbor’s property the next day, but were unsure if it was associated with the same group or if it was a different one.

“Because we didn’t have any clear evidence that was tying it to the livestock depredation, we did not pursue that one based on the sighting alone,” Yamashita said.

CPW cannot release any more information until it has completed its investigation.

“We have game damage statutes where we follow up with investigations to determine, how many animals, etc., and we file reports based on that,” Yamashita said. “Right now we’re still working with wildlife services and the landowner to finish up all those reports.”