What should I do if I see injured wildlife? Call *277!

After the initial shock of seeing an animal struck on the road, an elk entangled in a net (or basketball goal, hammock, or holiday lights), your mind might race to the question, “What should I do?”

Here is your answer and it’s all wrapped up in 4 characters: *277. Why that number?

Colorado State Patrol (CSP) operates a non-emergency phone line, *CSP (which is *277). While humanrelated emergency calls should always be sent to 911, the CSP nonemergency number can be used for wildlife emergencies.

What are wildlife emergencies?

Animals that are injured and need immediate assistance are appropriate issues for a *277 call. Humanwildlife con icts, such as an animal attack or car crash, should be sent to 911.

When nearby and not involved in another call, CSP troopers or CPW o cers may respond to *277 calls about herds of elk that are moving slowly across Highway 74 and are blocking tra c for long periods of time. In this case, the trooper or ofcer will calm tra c but are not allowed to interfere with the animals’ progress across the road for safety

Inside The Outdoors

reasons.

What happens when I call *277?

when facing an emergency involving a su ering animal, and dialing *277 is simple and fast.

When is *277 not the right choice?

Do not call *277 when:

You see dead animals or roadkill (the state or county road crews will likely remove them, but you may also contact them to report the carcass) unless the carcass is a human safety issue, such as blocking tra c.

Christie Greene

Just like a 911 dispatcher, the *277 dispatcher will ask pertinent questions and will contact the appropriate agency to respond to the wildlife emergency. e dispatcher knows the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) o cers, CSP trooper, Je co Sheri ’s deputy or Evergreen Fire/Rescue responders on duty.

Why not call Colorado Parks and Wildlife, county animal control or a wildlife rehabilitator directly?

While those are all options, calling *277 will allow a dispatcher to make the determination of which organization is appropriate to respond to that wildlife emergency, and *277 is always available.

What about nights and weekends?

Dialing *277 is an excellent option because the caller does not have to be concerned with knowing an agency’s o ce hours. People may have di culty thinking clearly

You have wildlife questions of a non-emergency nature (call CPW or another wildlife-based agency or nonpro t during o ce hours)

Other important details concerning animals in the road:

In the Conifer/Evergreen areas, we have state and county roads. e responsible agencies are di erent for each jurisdiction.

Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Region 1 includes Highways 74, 285, 8, I-70, Highway 40 among others. CDOT Maintenance is responsible for roadkill removal. Colorado State Patrol jurisdiction includes all state and interstate highways.

Je erson County roads are those not included in the above list, such as Highway 73, Brookforest and Bu alo Park Roads. Je co Road and

Bridge is the agency responsible for roadkill removal on these roads. Je co Sheri deputies respond to crashes on county highways and roads.

Wildlife carcasses discovered on personal property are the responsibility of the property owner. Options are calling a carcass removal company or in some cases, the animal may be harvested for which a permit from CPW is required.

CPW asks that residents experiencing bear encounters contact the appropriate CPW o ce to report the incident. Sta will share important information with the callers, such as how to bearproof the home and how to haze the animal, with the goal of preventing bears and other wildlife from feeling comfortable near homes. Bears that associate food with humans may become increasingly aggressive. Regretfully, when a bear breaks into a home, he is then considered a danger to human beings and may be put down by CPW o cers.

To report bear encounters, learn more about bear-proo ng, or ask wildlife-related questions, please contact CPW’s Denver o ce at (303) 291-7227.