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BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — State wildlife officials say mountain lions have attacked at least a dozen dogs around Nederland since Nov. 1. 

Incidents involving mountain lions and pets are not uncommon. However, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the recent number of reports is unusually high. 

“Mountain lions are very smart animals, and once they learned they can get an easy food source like pets, they’ll continue to come back to that food source,” CPW spokesperson Joey Livingston said. 

CPW has already hosted two meetings with the community to try and address the problem. According to Livingston, the agency also attempted to trap mountain lions living around Nederland in November and December, but the effort was unsuccessful. 

Nederland residents tracking mountain lions

Now, residents are tracking sightings, attacks and killings online, where mountain lion incidents can be plotted on a map. The posts suggest even more dogs have been killed. CPW is asking the community to report incidents to them as well. 

“It’s really hard for us to take reports off social media or off of apps without talking to the person that actually saw the mountain lion,” Livingston said. “We need to have reports from specific areas to try and target, make sure we’re targeting the correct mountain lions.”

The most recent sightings and attacks reported online are from Dec. 27, 2022. According to CPW, that is the same day a homeowner shot and killed a mountain lion to protect a dog.

“We have not seen any attacks on pets reported to CPW since that occurred on Dec. 27,” Livingston said.

More issues are still possible in the future. CPW suggests pet owners keep animals on a leash and take extra precautions, like making loud noises, during dawn and dusk when mountain lions are more active.