DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirms they were called out on Thursday morning after a mountain lion became roadkill along I-25.
CPW says the male mountain lion was likely 3 or 4 years old.
A KRDO13 employee witnessed crews working to remove the mountain lion near Mile Marker 177 (which is between Castle Rock and Larkspur) around 8:30 a.m. this morning.
Colorado State Patrol (CSP) confirmed they got a call for the roadkill report, but there weren’t any reports made to them about a vehicle crash or human injuries.
About 11 miles down the road, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is working on constructing one of the world’s largest structures over a major roadway for wildlife to cross safely. The wildlife overpass is located just north of Monument.
Concept design for the Greenland Wildlife Overpass (Source: CDOT)
CDOT notes that the overpass crossing won’t likely be the primary route for animals like mountain lions, but the underpass elements for the project can accommodate them.
Elk, mule deer, and pronghorn are expected to traverse the overpass once completed.
The $15 million Greenland Wildlife Overpass project is expected to reach full project completion by the end of this year.
“The completed phases of this project have already achieved a 91% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions in the area,” a CDOT spokesperson said.
According to CSP, they responded to 3,777 crashes involving wildlife last year. The majority were in October, November, and December. CSP says that animal activity ramps up during this time of year, especially between dawn and dusk, as wildlife takes part in the winter migration season.
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