A hiker died last week in the mountains of northern Colorado after being attacked by a cougar. The incident marked the first cougar-related fatality in the state in more than 25 years.
The attack occurred in the mountains south of Glen Haven, an unincorporated community near the east entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. Shortly before noon, two hikers on the Crozier Mountain Trail northeast of Estes Park encountered the cougar near the woman’s body. Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose told the AP that hikers began throwing rocks to scare the animal away, after which they examined the victim and found no pulse. Authorities are not releasing details of the injuries, saying only that it appears the woman was alone in the mountains at the time of the attack.
Search for a specific predator
In response to the incident, state and local wildlife officers shot two mountain lions in the area. A third mountain lion was spotted Friday afternoon, and officials continued to track it in the mountains.
“Cougars are very territorial animals. If they’re in the area, there’s a possibility they were involved, but we don’t know for sure yet,” Van Hoose told Colorado Public Radio. “We need to test all the animals that could potentially be involved.”
Necrops will be performed on the dead animals to determine whether they were involved in the attack and whether they had any diseases that could have played a role, such as rabies. According to the Larimer County Coroner’s Office, an autopsy is scheduled for next week.
While encounters with cougars in this mountainous region are common, attacks on humans remain rare. Over the past 35 years, 28 cougar attacks have been recorded in Colorado. The last fatal attack occurred in 1999, when a three-year-old child died.
News source: alp.org.ua