PARK COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado sheriff’s office says video of a possible wolf sighting earlier this week turned out to be footage of a group of Saint Bernard dogs.
The report stated the possible wolf sighting happened on Monday near Highway 285 and County Road 5, roughly 90 miles southwest of Denver.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office, along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, investigated the sighting.
During the investigation, CPW and the sheriff’s office learned that five Saint Bernard dogs that have a history of escaping their enclosure, got out on Monday, and were running loose in the area of the “wolf” sighting.
The video of the animals was taken from a very long distance and the lighting, along with shadows, made it tough to decipher what type of large, four-legged animals were running near an elk herd, the sheriff’s office said.
CPW flew an airplane over the area on Wednesday morning and did not see any evidence of wolves or injured or deceased elk.
The dog owner was cited by Park County Animal Control for letting their dogs run loose in a similar incident on April 23.
In January, two dogs were attacked by wolves on a ranch near Walden. One of the dogs was killed in the incident. There have also been multiple cows killed by wolves in Jackson County.
CPW has created a wolf sighting form for anyone to report a sighting and to submit photos or videos, which will help assist CPW to document wolf activity.
