Wintertime Wildlife Etiquette; Keep Dogs from Wildlife
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is issuing a warning to people whose dogs chase wildlife: Keep them under control and away from deer, elk and other wild animals, or face the possibility of steep fines and the loss of a beloved pet.
Dogs that chase or harass wild animals are a serious concern any time of year; however, it is during wintertime when the consequences become more harmful for many big game animals.
"By winter, deer and elk are just trying to survive the snow and lack of forage," Wildlife Officer Joe Nicholson said. "If dogs chase them, they quickly expend their already limited fat stores, leading to poor health and eventual death from starvation. That is what we are trying to prevent."
Wildlife managers say that although it may be legal to let dogs run free in some recreation areas, they strongly recommend keeping pets on a leash whenever encounters with animals are likely.
"The stress and injuries caused by dogs are concerns, but so are conflicts," said Area Wildlife Manager Mark Lamb. "Each year, we investigate numerous incidents in which a person is injured by a wild animal. A common factor in many of these situations is that the victim's dog first approached or harassed the animal."
Lamb adds that because moose see dogs as a predatory threat, the large ungulates will aggressively try to stomp any dog that approaches it, often chasing it back to its owner who then becomes the target of the angry moose. There have been at least four moose attacks this year in Colorado - three of which had dogs involved - that resulted in injuries to humans.
