Two young mountain lions would have drowned previously today if it had not been for a bold rescue and the eager eyes of Mike Canterbury, a dam tender for the Pine River Watering District in Bayfield, Colorado.
According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Southwest Area, Canterbury was mere moments from releasing a flood of water from the Vallecito Reservoir when he spotted two young mountain lions caught in the spillway.
He called CPW for support. Wildlife officer Ty Smith stepped in to attempt a rescue, however he had a difficult task ahead of him. The walls of the spillway are rather high and steep.
Image by CPW SW Region on Twitter/X Smith initially assumed he ‘d have to dart the mountain lions, however initially, he tried hanging a rope to see if they ‘d grab on. (They’re felines, after all.) One did, and Smith was able to pull the very first baby lion as much as security. @CPW_SW wrote on X: “The very first mountain lion held onto the rope all the way to the top of the spillway barrier and quickly ran into the woods.”
With half the objective accomplished, wildlife officials likely hoped the 2nd rescue would go just as smoothly. It didn’t. The second mountain lion didn’t fall for the rope hang.
Reluctant to swim to reach the bank, the young lion continued to rate around at the water’s edge and moved into a corner of the spillway. pic.twitter.com/oLbSOBseqs!.?.!— CPW SW Area(@CPW_SW)April 22, 2024 After climbing up down into the spillway, however, Smith showed
the 2nd mountain lion is still just a big cat by getting it interested in the rope after all. Authorities caught the lion in a catch pole and raised it over the wall. After concealing under a truck for a couple of minutes, the 2nd lion eventually ran in the direction of its brother or sister. It’s a pleased ending for these 2 mountain lions, who were almost in the incorrect location at the incorrect time. Two young mountain lions didn’t drown thanks to a bold rescue.
Mere minutes from launching a flood of water, a dam tender identified the pair.