Mountain lion enters Colorado home to grab dog

Wildlife experts in Colorado expressed surprise at news this week from a community outside Denver: A mountain lion crept into a house to snatch a Labrador retriever from a bedroom where two people were sleeping.

Meanwhile, authorities in Southern California were expressing skepticism Wednesday about another unusual report: An Orange County man says a mountain lion attacked him after he tried to pet one of the cougar's cubs. Times staffers have details on the alleged mountain lion attack.

The Associated Press, in a report from Tuesday, has the details on what occurred in Idledale, about 14 miles southwest of Denver. The mountain lion left the dog's dead body outside the house it had entered through an open door. The AP goes on:

Wildlife officials later trapped the 130-pound male cat using the dog’s body as bait and fatally shot it. Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Tyler Baskfield said the cat entered the house through open French doors early Monday and fled with the Labrador after the owners woke up.

“The people got up and looked around and saw the mountain lion’s tail leaving the house,” Baskfield said. He declined to release the homeowners’ names. The owners agreed to use the dog’s body for bait.

Baskfield said mountain lions often stash their kills and return for them later. Although wild animals ranging from raccoons to bears might amble in through open doors and windows, “it is kind of strange for a large predator like that to come that close to the house,” Baskfield said. Colorado has an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 mountain lions.