Talia is a two-year-old adorable pit bull mix; smart and loyal and once a joyous companion to Sarah Jane Romano on her hikes and jogs through the beautiful wilderness that the mountains offer. Talia was attacked by a mountain lion on Monday, April 18, during one of Romano’s trail runs at the Boulder County Open Space, near Reynolds Ranch, in broad daylight.

Romano and Tali have been together since July of 2021, and the bond that the two have was made instantly. Romano, a licensed massage therapist and dance instructor, is also a mother and a survivor of past traumas. Tali came into her and her daughter’s life as their protector during tumultuous times. But Romano was the one protecting her dog on April 18, when a mountain lion launched at Tali on a hillside, chasing her, the two of them landing 15 feet ahead of Romano on the trail.

Romano remarked that the attack happened on her and Tali’s return around the spine chilling corner; that the lion may have been stalking that spot and waiting. Romano ran after the lion and her dog with pure adrenaline, getting close enough to watch the lion bite down into her dog’s skull.

“I’m a mother, I immediately recognized that sound; when the lion bit down, Tali screamed like she was a hurt child and I lost it!” Romano told me during a phone interview on Sunday, May 1.

Romano’s fight or flight instinct caused her to attack the mountain lion, getting close enough to kick it.

“Somehow I lost my antique earring during all of it…maybe it was just from swinging my arms when I went to kick it,” Romano explained how in that moment she was “seeing red”. She had a can of mace on her, as she typically does on her runs, but she was acting on pure impulse and adrenaline. Romano was able to ward the mountain lion away and get out of the area with her severely injured companion Tali.

Talia was lucky to survive, though she suffered severe puncture wounds to her head, face, and neck, as well as lacerations around her inner thigh, where the mountain lion tried to claw her open. Tali had to undergo several surgeries and visits to her vet. Just days before my talk with Romano on May 1, Tali was experiencing horrible swelling on her face and neck as a result of abscesses that needed to be drained; meaning Tali recently had to go under for surgery yet again.

However, on the day of my interview with Romano, she was happy to inform me that Tali’s face was no longer sagging from the draining procedure, and that she was looking like herself again.

Romano, however, has not emotionally recovered from the traumatic experience.

“I start shaking and feeling like I’m going to throw up when I think about it,” Romano said when asked to revisit the moment she kicked the mountain lion away. “I’m now so afraid to let my daughter ride ahead on her bike, so I’m constantly running beside her now.”

“I jump a little bit whenever another jogger comes around a corner,” Romano added that she isn’t sure if she’ll ever feel “normal” out in the wilderness again. Romano is a long time resident of Boulder County and is no stranger to mountain lion sightings and stories. However, experiencing a “rare” attack in broad daylight on an official hiking trail has changed her perspective dramatically.

“I don’t think this is normal behavior. I think they’re perturbed and they’re getting more violent,” Romano said, noting that the disturbance of noise pollution from the nearby reconstruction of Gross Reservoir may be to blame. Romano mentioned that the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife (CPW) stated there were mountain lion dens in that area, between Lazy Z Road and the Gross Reservoir.

“Now I hear about a possible pack stalking homes down the hill in Boulder; even being seen as far as Lafayette! They’re not mountain lions anymore, that’s the plains!”

Since the attack Romano’s caring significant other, who she thanked for taking eight days off from work to tend to her and Tali’s needs, as well as a group of friends have helped support the family. Tali’s veterinarian bills are steep and she still has two more visits to go before she’s fully mended. Romano’s friends helped set up a GoFundMe for those with the ability to donate and assist in contributing to paying for Tali’s surgeries (https://gofund.me/fad452ec).

Romano and Talia’s mountain lion attack is just the most recent of a string of sightings and reported killings of pets that have occurred since January of this year. On the day of writing this article, Tuesday, May 3, a Nederland resident posted backyard trail camera footage on the Nedheads Facebook page of a mountain lion pack (possibly a mother and cubs) roaming the Big Springs area at 9:50 p.m. on Monday night. A resident posted on March 6 about a mountain lion making mating calls outside of their home at 2 a.m. in the Big Springs neighborhood.

On February 28 at 6:45 p.m. a 10 year old Husky was dragged from resident’s backyard in the Cold Springs Road area. The dog suffered fatal injuries to its trachea and died in the emergency veterinary hospital in Boulder. On March 8 a post on Nedheads echoed a report from Nederland Police Department (NPD) and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) that they believed the single mountain lion in question was a 10 year old female that may have been picking on easy prey due to its older age. NPD and BCSO were to attempt to haze the animal with non- lethal means in an effort to discourage it from coming closer to town.

Jim Reis, military veteran and resident of Nederland for more than 10 years, shared his mountain lion story with me on Monday, May 2. On January 9 of this year, shortly after 9 p.m. Reis let his six year old Pit Bull/ Labrador Riley out into the backyard. After 25 minutes, Reis called for his dog but Riley didn’t return; after an hour Reis went out with a flashlight to start searching.

Reis drove for hours around the Barker Road and Big Springs area; it wasn’t until the morning that he saw blood in the snow on his driveway. Reis followed the blood for nearly 75 yards until he came to a steep incline. It was this point that he had hope, thinking there was no way a mountain lion could drag the 80 pound body of his dog up the incline. Unfortunately, after a 20 minute hike up, Reis discovered Riley’s body.

“I had raised Riley since he was 10 weeks old; he was definitely my best friend,” Reis said, mentioning that he’s saddened and disappointed that the attacks and killings are continuing. Reis had hoped that the story of Riley’s death would act as a warning and raise a proactive response from the authorities. Unfortunately, he received an answer from CPW that echoes a common response given to sightings and attacks posted on social media. Reis was told that he is living in their hunting grounds.

Romano has received similar responses to her and Talia’s story, as well as chiding for allowing her dog off leash while on the trail. But both Reis and Romano share a common concern after stepping away from their harrowing experiences.

“I’ve lived here since 2010 and there’s always been sightings,” Reis said. “But I’ve never seen such exposure, so close to town, with pets being killed.”

Reis noted that the mountain lion had returned to his property the day after killing Riley in his driveway, casually hunting for remains. Both Reis and Romano believe that something has changed and that the local wildlife has become more brazen; and both are hoping for action to be taken.

Reis has spoken with Boulder Rangers about what it will take to relocate the animal, and what power does a citizen have to defend themselves and their pets. CPW statutes state that mountain lions CAN NOT be killed when they are causing damage to personal property, including pets. They can be killed when it is “necessary” to prevent them from death, damage, or injury to human life.

It appears to Reis that direct action can not be taken until the mountain lion attacks a person.

“What is the difference, to this lion, between a 75 pound dog and a five year old child?” Reis asked. “I guarantee that it will be national news if a child is hurt or killed.”

Reis is asking what action CPW is taking to protect people and their pets, especially with a summer season of uninformed visitors looming over the horizon. Meanwhile, residents need to continue to enforce preventive measures for themselves, their pets, and their children. CPW is asking that anyone with first hand accounts of mountain lion encounters need to call them at 303-291-7227 and file a report.

This matter affects us all and this story will always be an ongoing discussion to those living in mountain communities. A question has been raised of whether it’s no longer the case that we are “living in their hunting ground”, but rather a case of being hunted where we live. Do metrics show if there is truly a rise in sightings and killings? Is this brazenness in their proximity to town abnormal behavior for a mountain lion?

Follow The Mountain-Ear for a follow up from CPW and Boulder Rangers concerning these questions.