Safety Around Wildlife
Safety around wildlife consists of a variety of topics, including encountering wildlife at our homes and in our vehicles, on trails in and around Genesee and Colorado, avoiding conflicts with wildlife in those same places, and interacting with wildlife that may have become comfortable with our presence in their range.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) has a great deal of specific information about living with wildlife on their webpages, at CPW Living With Wildlife Some of that information is summarized here.
Some things to remember:
- Wild animals are still wild, even if they seem comfortable around you. Do not approach animals that are in your yard, or that you encounter on trails or open space in the neighborhood.
- DO NOT FEED the animals. See Feeding Wildlife Puts Everyone at Risk CPW Do Not Feed Wildlife
- KEEP YOUR DOGS LEASHED. Unleashed dogs can not only harass or kill wildlife but can be injured or killed by large wildlife. Unleashed dogs and cats are easy prey for mountain lions, coyotes, and foxes. See CPW Living With Wildlife for more details.
- DO NOT APPROACH YOUNG ANIMALS. They have not been abandoned and do not need rescuing. See CPW Coexisting With Young Wildlife for more information.
- Keep your vehicle doors locked and the windows closed. Bears can smell even the crumbs from food in your vehicle and will try to enter to get that food. Once inside they can easily do severe damage as they forage for the food or try to leave the vehicle. Wildlife can also enter your home through open windows, unlocked doors, or dog doors and do an amazing amount of damage in a short time.
More links to information about some of the wildlife that can be encountered in Genesee (from CPW):
Bears: CPW Living With Wildlife Wild Bears
Quite a bit of information in several formats about living with bears.
Mountain Lions: CPW Living With Wildlife Lion
Again, a lot of information, including a brochure that can be shared.
Coyotes: CPW Living With Wildlife Coyote
A coyote pack, even a small one, is a great danger to domestic dogs. This link details how to safely live with coyotes.
Deer: CPW Colorado’s Mule Deer Story
General information about deer in Colorado.
General information about elk in Colorado.
Foxes: CPW Living With Wildlife Red Fox
More general information about bats than dealing with them around your home.
Rattlesnakes: CPW Living With Wildlife Comfort
Snakes are the third topic in this list that includes prairie dogs, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and woodpeckers.