A Runner Strangled a Mountain Lion After It Attacked Him
Near Fort Collins, Colorado, a man running through the West Ridge Trail at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space killed a mountain lion after the animal attacked him yesterday afternoon. Remarkably, the man used nothing but his bare hands to choke and fend off the animal's deadly advances. He escaped relatively unscathed considering the circumstances, with the lion only biting his wrist and face.
Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Larimer County searched the trail in question and found a dead juvenile mountain lion. They ruled the animal dead via suffocation and reopened the park after briefly closing it, according to a press release.
The man reportedly heard something creeping up behind him while on a run, and then turned around to find the animal lunging at him. He "sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries" during the fight, and managed to alert authorities and get himself to a hospital on his own accord.
Authorities note that mountain-lion attacks are rare in Colorado, but that doesn't mean they can't happen. “The runner did everything he could to save his life," said Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region manager. "In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did.”
Near Fort Collins, Colorado, a man running through the West Ridge Trail at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space killed a mountain lion after the animal attacked him yesterday afternoon. Remarkably, the man used nothing but his bare hands to choke and fend off the animal's deadly advances. He escaped relatively unscathed considering the circumstances, with the lion only biting his wrist and face.
Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Larimer County searched the trail in question and found a dead juvenile mountain lion. They ruled the animal dead via suffocation and reopened the park after briefly closing it, according to a press release.
The man reportedly heard something creeping up behind him while on a run, and then turned around to find the animal lunging at him. He "sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries" during the fight, and managed to alert authorities and get himself to a hospital on his own accord.
Authorities note that mountain-lion attacks are rare in Colorado, but that doesn't mean they can't happen. “The runner did everything he could to save his life," said Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region manager. "In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did.”
