Lion sightings pose dangers at Park campgrounds

Glacier National Park officials have closed an area near the Bowman Lake Campground after a mountain lion killed a deer there in broad daylight on May 19 and dragged it off into the woods.

Both lions and deer are common to the area, but it’s fairly rare for a cat to make a kill during the day, especially with tourists nearby.

Debbie Kealey, of Ottawa, Canada and her friend Mary Devenny, of Ottawa and Columbia Falls, were coming off a hike to the Numa Ridge Lookout and heading back to their car when an older couple warned them about a lion eating a deer near the restroom. The couple said they saw the deer run past them fast and then the lion nabbed it.

The two women said they got in their car, took a few pictures and then saw the lion drag the deer off into the woods. The photos they took show the lion not far from a picnic table.

On their way back to Columbia Falls, they stopped at the Polebridge Ranger Station to inform a ranger. The older couple stayed at the campground to warn any other hikers who might stumble onto the lion with the kill.

Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said rangers pulled the deer farther out of the area and then closed the area off. They also posted warnings about lion activity in the campground.

Germann noted that the Upper Kintla Lake backcountry campground is currently closed because a lion killed a deer nearby.

Lion-killed carcasses not only draw lions but other predators and scavengers. Bears and wolves will drive lions off kills and consume the remains. Grizzly bears on carcasses are particularly protective and can be extremely dangerous. People have been killed by grizzlies who are defending a carcass.

Earlier this year, a mountain lion and a Glacier Park employee’s dog got into a fight in the Headquarters District residential area, and a Park ranger saved the dog by shooting the lion.

Seeing a mountain lion in Glacier Park is a rare experience. Most big cats are shy, but they are an extremely efficient predator. Unlike bear encounters, people who accidentally get too close to a lion should wave their arms and make themselves look big to scare the cat away, the Park Service recommends.