Campus events featuring Clyde, a rescued mountain lion, will take place in environments that are animal-friendly and conducive to education about the species, a committee of faculty and staff members recently recommended.
An eight-member committee of faculty and staff recently met with Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak and the operators of Serenity Springs Wildlife Rescue, Calhan, to ensure the adopted campus mascot is well-treated when he visits campus and is not overly stressed. Last spring, concerns were raised about Clyde’s treatment and how he came to be the campus mascot. The Student Government Association was asked to participate in the committee but a representative did not attend.
Clyde was raised by a Montana couple who had him declawed, according to Serenity Springs officials. When the couple split, he came to live at Serenity Springs and was adopted by UCCS as a live mascot for campus athletic and spirit-building events and to help educate people about mountain lions. As a result of his upbringing, he is comfortable around humans and unable to be re-released into the wild.
“We were assured that Clyde is never drugged before coming to campus and is never forced to come,” Tamara Moore, marketing director, Auxiliary Services, and committee member said. “He is very used to people but we should respect that he is a wild animal and take appropriate precautions.”
As part of its license with the Colorado Department of Wildlife, Serenity Springs must ensure that campus visits include an educational component. Plans are filed annually. UCCS will assist with those plans by ensuring that education about mountain lions and Colorado wildlife in general are part of Clyde’s two to three annual campus visits.
Plans call for Clyde to visit UCCS as part of the Back to the Bluffs celebration on Oct. 14. A tentative schedule calls for him to visit the Clyde’s restaurant in University Center at 6 p.m. His visit will be accompanied by a program, “Living with Wildcats in Your Community” that highlights the dangers of feeding wild animals and making them dependent on humans.
Plans are also underway for tour of Serenity Springs with buses planned for the trek to eastern El Paso County.
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