Who doesn’t enjoy a good animal story? We get a lot of them around here, where the Rocky Mountains erupt from the Great Plains and thousands of new residents arrive every year. People and critters cross paths with great regularity. Walk very far into the foothills or any greenbelt (or even your own yard) and you best be watching for bears, coyotes, and the occasional mountain lion. People get lost in the hills; wildlife gets lost in the suburbs. Usually the story has a happy ending. For example:
Recently, just north of Boulder, in a little farm community called Hygiene, it was animal meets animal, domestic vs. wild. “Apple” the cow, named for her love of same, found a bear in her favorite apple tree. Apparently a discussion ensued, and after a period of negotiation, a compromise was reached. The bear departed. No harm, no foul.
Boulder Daily Camera reporter Vanessa Miller told the story much better than I, and had pictures to boot.