A woman died in a rare suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado on Thursday, officials said.
Hikers told authorities they saw a mountain lion lying on the ground about 100 yards away from a man on the Crosier Mountain Trail in unincorporated Larimer County around 12:15 p.m., Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.
Hikers scared off the lion by throwing rocks and then took care of the adult female, the release said. One of the witnesses was a paramedic and “couldn’t find a pulse,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Cara Van Hoose.
The victim’s identity and cause of death will be released by the Larimer County Coroner.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating the death as a suspected mountain lion attack.
“There were indications that it was consistent with a mountain lion attack but we can’t say for sure,” Van Hoose told reporters on Thursday. He said that it is believed that the woman was hiking alone.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, along with Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies, Estes Park Police and Glen Haven area volunteer firefighters, responded and began an extensive search for the mountain lions. They were assisted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists who were conducting aerial deer surveys in the county and houndsmen with dogs to track the scent of mountain lions.
A mountain lion was present at the scene, but ran away when officers shot it. It was located by authorities and euthanized, the release said.
A second mountain lion was found nearby a short time later and was also euthanized, the release said. Colorado Parks and Wildlife policy states that wildlife involved in attacks on humans must be euthanized for public safety.
“It is unknown if the suspected attack involved one or multiple animals,” the Colorado Parks and Wildlife release said.
Pathologists will perform autopsies on the mountain lions to check for abnormalities and neurological diseases such as rabies and avian influenza.
Van Hoose said he will also be tested for human DNA. If evidence of human DNA is not found near the lions, the search will continue.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said mountain lion attacks on humans are considered rare in Colorado, with 28 previous attacks reported to the agency since 1990. The last fatal attack occurred 27 years ago, in 1999.
Van Hoose described the area as remote and heavily wooded with few isolated trails.
“This is an area where mountain lions are really common, as well as a lot of other wildlife like bears and moose,” she said. “Since mountain lions are really common in this area, we expect conflicts with routine things like seeing dogs or encountering them.”
The agency notes that hikers should expect to encounter wildlife along the Front Range and Larimer County, and that mountain lions are more visible in the winter as they move to lower elevations chasing deer and elk.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises anyone who encounters a mountain lion to make noise to scare them away, hold objects up to appear larger, and turn away from the animal.
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