Denver Colorado jogger fends off, kills mountain lion on rural path

By Anne Rowe for DPS board, February 27, 2019

Denver DENVER (Reuters) – A C olorado jogger strangled a juvenile mountain lion in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain northwest of Denver, acting in self-defense after the predator attacked him, authorities said on Tuesday. The guy, who was not recognized, survived the life-and-death battle in the Horsetooth Mountain Open Area, a mountain park less than 70 miles (110 km) from Denver, officials said. The man was running on a trail when the juvenile cougar assaulted him from behind, biting and clawing his face, back, legs and arms, state and local authorities said in a joint declaration late on Monday. Throughout the struggle, the guy strangled the wild animal with his bare hands, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Rebecca Ferrell stated by phone on Tuesday. “There was some fumbling going on and the cat did latch onto his arm however he was able to choke it,” she stated. The size of the cougar was uncertain, Ferrell stated, due to the fact that other animals fed on the carcass before wildlife officers shown up. But it is thought it was a male. The runner went to a hospital, officials stated, with injuries that were major however not life-threatening. The remainder of the animal’s body was recuperated near the trail, where the jogger had dropped some ownerships, and taken to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife lab for a necropsy, authorities said. Slideshow (2 Images) “The runner did whatever he could to save his life,” said Mark Leslie, CPW N ortheast Regional Manager. “In the occasion of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to battle back, just as this gentleman did.” Mountain lion attacks have triggered fewer than 20 fatalities in the United States in the previous 100 years. Sixteen understood attacks have occurred in Colorado since 1990, officials stated. “Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion’s searching impulses were activated by the runner,” Ty Petersburg, location wildlife supervisor for the CPW, stated in a declaration. “This might have had a very various result.” Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver, additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Dan Grebler Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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