Woman dies in suspected mountain lion attack in US state's first deadly encounter since 1999
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Carlos A Carreno/c3.photos via Getty Images
A woman is believed to have died as a result of a mountain lion attack.
Fatal mountain lion attacks are 'incredibly rare', says the Mountain Lion Foundation, and there's thought to have been around 29 fatal attacks involving the large cats since 1868 which averages out to be about 0.18 attacks per year.
Sadly, this number could now be 30 as it is suspected that a woman in Colorado was fatally injured by at least one mountain lion recently, marking the state's first deadly encounter since 1999.
The sad ordeal occurred on Thursday (January 1) when the woman was found to be lying on the ground approximately 100 yards away from a mountain lion on the Crosier Mountain trail.
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Witnesses scared the lion away by throwing rocks at it so that they could attend to the injured woman but they couldn't find a pulse.
Two lions that were found in the area have since been euthanized as Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) policies allow the killing of an animal that's been involved in a human attack to ensure public safety. A search for a third mountain lion is reportedly underway, 9NEWS said.
"CPW pathologists will perform a necropsy on the animals, checking for abnormalities and neurological diseases like rabies and avian influenza," a press release went on to share.
"Larimer County Coroner will release the identity of the victim and cause of death."
The CPW further advised: "Along the Front Range and Larimer County, hikers and people enjoying the outdoors should expect to encounter wildlife. Mountain lions are more visible in winter as they follow deer and elk to lower elevations.
"If lions are spotted, make noise to scare them from the area, hold objects overhead to appear bigger and start backing away from the animal. Pets should be kept on-leash and not interact with wildlife."
While mountain lion attacks are very uncommon, the Mountain Lion Foundation said that those who are doing activities such as running or mountain bike riding are more at risk of being attacked.
"This may be because the prey response is more easily triggered in mountain lions from these movements," the non-profit explained. "Additionally, these activities may reduce a person’s ability to respond quickly to a mountain lion and act aggressively, or to notice a nearby mountain lion quickly enough to stop and back away."
A case involving Keri Bergere is an example of this. Bergere was bike riding in Fall City, Washington, in February 2024 when she was attacked by a mountain lion and ended up in its jaws for 15 minutes.
With her help of her friends, she was able to be freed from the cat's grip. She was left seriously injured but miraculously survived the ordeal.