Woman killed in suspected mountain lion attack while hiking in northern Colorado
A woman hiking alone in the northern Colorado mountains was killed in a suspected mountain lion attack Thursday, authorities said, making it the first fatal attack by one of the state’s predators in more than 25 years.
Later in the day, wildlife officers found two mountain lions in the area and fatally shot the animals, said Kara Van Hoose of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The attack occurred in the mountains south of the small community of Glen Haven, about 7 miles northeast of Estes Park and considered the gateway to the eastern entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Shortly before noon, two hikers encountered a mountain lion near the woman’s body on a remote section of the Crosier Mountain trail in the national forest.
Van Hoose said the hikers threw rocks to scare the animal and help the woman. He said one of the hikers was a doctor who attended to the victim and was unable to detect a pulse.
Details about the woman’s injuries and cause of death were not immediately released.
Van Hoose said the search for other mountain lions in the area is ongoing. He said conditions will determine whether additional lions found will be killed.
Van Hoose said it is common to see mountain lions in the wooded area where the suspected attack occurred, but there have been no documented attacks on humans recently.
“This is a very common time of year for mountain lion sightings and reports, and especially in Larimer County where mountain lion habitat is very good,” he said. “The trails in this area are in fairly remote terrain, so there are forests, rocks, elevation gains and descents.”
Mountain lion attacks are rare, and Colorado’s last suspected fatal attack was in 1999, when a 3-year-old child was killed. Two years ago, a 10-year-old boy was killed and dragged away by a lion while hiking with his family members in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Last year in northern california Two brothers were pursued and then attacked by a lion they were trying to chase. One of the brothers was killed.
Also known as cougars, catamounts, and other names, the animals can weigh up to 130 pounds (60 kilograms) and grow up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall1. They primarily eat deer.
In Colorado, there are an estimated 3,800-4,400 animals that are classified as big game species and can be hunted in the state.
