“It’s not easy”
Colorado wildlife officials say decision to euthanize sick, injured wildlife is always taken seriously
Larry the elk laid on the ground outside the entrance to a Boulder travel business Wednesday, the side of its head resting against the pavement, a purple band wrapped over its eyes and around its mouth.
A group of people inside gathered at the tall glass windows, watching the animal take its final breath.
Just two days earlier, a sickly mountain lion strolled into downtown Evergreen, where it attacked and killed a dog before posting up outside a candy store.
Over the course of three days, these two creatures of Colorado’s wild drew the attention, affection and awe of children, business owners and everyday citizens. But despite the public infatuation, state wildlife officials deemed both of these unexpected visitors too sick to go on, and euthanized each animal.
It’s simply part of living in a state defined by its wildlife and outdoors.
“We share a lot of habitat with wildlife,” said Jason Clay, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “Because of that, there’s bound to be some conflicts.”
In cases such as these, wildlife officials weigh every possible option before euthanizing, Clay said. They would prefer to relocate the animals, or get them help, but that’s not always in the cards.
“There’s a lot of decisionmaking that goes into it all,” he said. “Could we get it to a rehabilitation center? We consult with the veterinarians, and we always look for other means or what can be done.”
The elk and the mountain lion, Clay said, were deemed not well enough to survive.
Named “Larry” by neighbors, the elk had become somewhat of a Boulder sensation in recent weeks, charming humans and canines alike. Mapleton Hill resident Carie Lemack said Larry had built a special relationship with her dog, noting the elk’s “beautiful eyes” and “beautiful energy.”
But Larry suffered from a jaw injury, which became abscessed and infected with visible swelling. Workers at Cultivate, the travel business, called city wild-
life officers at 8 a.m. to inform them Larry had shown up at their back entrance.
After tranquilizing the elk, Colorado Parks and Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Lisa Wolfe noticed Larry’s injured jaw, and decided that it was best for him to be euthanized.
“It’s a shame to have to put it down,” Wolfe said. “But it’s hard to see him suffer, at the same time.”
Wildlife officials hope to learn more about how the elk became ill through a necropsy, Clay said.
Larry, ultimately, met the same fate as the mountain lion in Evergreen.
Parks and Wildlife responded Monday after a dog owner called, saying they had heard commotion in their backyard. Their dog was dead, and the mountain lion had run off.
Eventually, wildlife officers located the lion outside the Seasonally Yours candy shop off Highway 74. Curious people gathered outside the shop, including parents picking up their children from a nearby bus stop.
“There was about 75 people standing there,” said Rachel Nicks, owner of Seasonally Yours. “It turned into an educational thing for the kids.”
The wildlife officers noticed how skinny the mountain lion looked, with one able to pick up the tranquilized cat by the scruff of its neck.
The lion was transported to Fort Collins and euthanized Monday night, Clay said.
Initial results from a necropsy showed the mountain lion weighed just 61 pounds, Clay said, noting that a healthy female adult lion normally weighs 120 pounds. In a recent 10-year study of 50 female lions on the Front Range, not one lion had weighed less than 90 pounds, Clay said.
Given Colorado’s outdoor-centric lifestyle, Clay knows these incidents strike a chord for people in the community.
“The public really cares for wildlife in the state,” he said. “Wildlife is what makes this state so great. There’s a lot of passion here.”
Wildlife officials, he said, do not take their responsibility lightly.
“Do we enjoy when an animal has to be put down? No,” Clay said. “We work really hard to save them. When our people do have to put them down, it’s not easy for them.”