A woman was killed in a suspected mountain lion attack while she was hiking alone in the mountains of northern Colorado, authorities said.
On Thursday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said two hikers told officials they saw a mountain lion near a person on the ground at around 12:15 p.m. local time.
“Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating a suspected fatal mountain lion attack on the Crosier Mountain trail in unincorporated Larimer County,” the press release read.
The hikers threw rocks at the animal to scare it from the immediate area so they could try to help the woman, Van Hoose said. One of the hikers was a physician who attended to the victim and did not find a pulse, she added.
The victim’s identity and cause of death will be released by the Larimer County coroner.
Wildlife officers later in the day located two mountain lions in the area and fatally shot the animals, Van Hoose said.
Get daily National news
“It is unknown if one or multiple animals were involved in the suspected attack,” Van Hoose shared. “According to CPW policies, wildlife involved in attacks on humans must be euthanized to ensure public safety.”
CPW pathologists will perform a necropsy on the two mountain lions to check for abnormalities and neurological diseases, like rabies and avian influenza.
They will also be tested for human DNA, Van Hoose added. If the animals do not prove to have evidence of human DNA, a search will continue into the death of the woman.
-
![]()
An 8-year-old boy narrowly escaped death after being attacked by a mountain lion -
![]()
Mountain lion attack survivor describes intense moments during assault -
![]()
Mountain lion attack survivor explains what he’s learned about himself -
![]()
An Idaho woman thought she was breaking up a dog fight, but she grabbed a mountain lion instead
Sightings of mountain lions are common in the forested area where the incident occurred, but there have not been any recent documented attacks on humans, Van Hoose said.
“This is an area where mountain lions are really common, along with a lot of other wildlife, like bears and moose,” she told reporters during a news conference. “Because mountain lions are really common in this area, we do expect to have conflicts with regular things like sightings or encounters with dogs.”
She said there were “signs that this was consistent with a mountain lion attack but we can’t say for sure.”
There had not been a fatal attack by a mountain lion in Colorado in more than 25 years.
“Mountain lion attacks on humans in Colorado are considered to be rare, with 28 previous attacks reported to CPW since 1990. The last fatal attack was in 1999,” according to the press release.
Colorado is home to an estimated 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions, according to the CPW website.
If hikers cross paths with mountain lions, CPW advises them to make noise to avoid surprising a lion, carry a sturdy walking stick and keep children and pets close.
— with files from The Associated Press
Comments