Video Story
Watch VideoCoyote harasses skiers at Copper Mountain
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
Skiers and snowboarders at Copper Mountain had to fend off an aggressive coyote on Saturday.
Tyler Buck, a 13-year-old student of Ranch View Middle School in Highlands Ranch, got an up close look at the animal in the terrain park. "He was sitting there watching people go by. My mom got some good pictures," said Tyler.
Beth Buck snapped four pictures of the coyote, but stopped after it ran after another boarder who fell. "The coyote ended up grabbing her board and biting it," said Beth. "Other skiers had to stomp around and scare it off."
Copper Mountain eventually closed down the hill and called the Division of Wildlife. Officers from DOW put the animal down. "This is a textbook example of why we don't feed wildlife here in the State of Colorado," said Tyler Baskfield of the Division of Wildlife. "We were fortunate that no one was injured by the coyote. When this happens we have no other option but to put it down if it's acting aggressively like this."
Rich Kladstrup was skiing at Copper Mountain on Saturday morning when he and his son saw a coyote walking in the middle of the ski run. When they stopped, the coyote headed straight for his three-year-old son. They were able to scare him off and the child was not hurt.
According to the Division Of Wildlife there is no indication that the coyote was sick, but it is being tested for disease.
