Officials say a Patagonian bier spotted in Lakewood Park in July is likely dead

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — An exotic creature later identified as: A Patagonian Mara spotted in Lakewood Park in July He has not been seen since then and is believed to have died, an official said Tuesday morning.

A naturalist at Bear Creek Lake Park, where the animal was last seen, posted on the park’s Facebook page sharing the news.

“Mara was illegally released into the park just before July 4,” the post reads. “We had several reports from users and park staff, as well as photos and videos of these encounters. After consulting with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, we determined that the mara was likely the result of the illegal pet trade because it was very docile and distrustful. easily startled by people or other wildlife.”

IN beginning of JulyBoth Amber Thill, operations manager for the City of Lakewood’s Department of Community Resources, and CPW’s Kara Van Hoose told Denver7 that their departments have received multiple reports about the animal from both forest rangers and park visitors.

Park staff and CPW set up multiple baited traps in the park over many weeks in an attempt to capture the animal. Around the same time, CPW was in talks with the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which have exhibits of the Patagonian bier, to see if they could take in an additional animal.

Watch Denver7’s July report on the discovery of the Patagonian bier.

A strange, alien animal identified after sightings at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood

“After several weeks with no success and no new observations, we removed the traps,” said a park naturalist. “Since the bier is benign and lives in an unfamiliar ecosystem, and has not been spotted since July, we can assume that nature took its course and one of our native predators played a role in this.”

In their natural habitat in central and southern Argentina, Patagonian bier face numerous predators, including cats, foxes and large birds.

Sent to Denver7 to ask for no courtesy line

The Patagonian Mara resembles capybaras, which they say are one of their closest relatives Atlanta Zoo.

“The general form of the Patagonian bier is a long-legged rodent with a body similar to that of an ungulate animal” – – said the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.

Their long legs help them reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. According to the National Zoo, they prefer meadows and thickets with plenty of open space. The animals mainly eat grasses, cacti, flowers, fruits and seeds.

They are not harmful to humans.

If anyone sees any unusual animals in the park, please contact the Bear Creek Lake Park Visitor Center at 303-697-6159 or CPW at 303-297-1192.

Colorado wildlife law generally prohibits the live possession of native and exotic animals– says CPW.

“An escaped exotic animal has the potential to hybridize with a native species, cause habitat destruction, or compete for habitat space with native species,” we read on the CPW website. “Wild animals bred in captivity also pose a potential threat of introducing disease into native populations. All of these complex factors must be considered when managing privately held live wildlife in Colorado.”

Abandoning pets – exotic or otherwise – is illegal in Colorado.