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Glenwood Springs, CO (KCNC ) — Drivers near Glenwood Springs encountered a different kind of traffic problem last week — a mountain lion was wandering through rush hour traffic on Highway 82.
Jenna Bontempo captured video of the big cat passing between her car and a minivan. She said traffic stopped to let the animal pass through. It eventually jumped the guard rail and went on its way.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the mountain lion may have been hit by a car.
“We suspect the lion had been hit by a vehicle. That explains its lethargic behavior. Typically a mountain lion is elusive. It wouldn’t be hanging out, walking between cars,” CPW officials stated. “There’s nothing that confirms that. It’s what we believe. There really is no way of knowing.”
CPW warned drivers should expect animals collisions in the high country and drive cautiously. They also reminded people to never approach, pick up or move and injured wild animal.
Earlier this month, a woman in Colorado Springs found an injured bobcat and placed it in the back of her car, near her young child, wildlife officials said.
“This could have been tragic,” CPW said on Twitter. “Luckily, it was too injured to react to being picked up and placed in a car.”