A suspected fatal mountain lion attack is under investigation in the Glen Haven area of Larimer County.
According to Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), law enforcement received a call around 12:15 p.m. Thursday from hikers on the Crosier Mountain Trail. They reported to emergency officials that they had seen a mountain lion near a person on the trail. The hikers threw rocks to scare the animal away. One of those hikers, a physician, said the person found near the lion was unresponsive.
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The Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Dept. responded to the scene, alongside the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Estes Park Police and CPW. The victim is said to be an adult woman, but no official identification has been released at this time.
CPW confirmed they called in houndsmen to track the mountain lion and found one animal still near the scene. After tracking and euthanizing it, a second mountain lion found nearby was also euthanized. Van Hoose said it’s CPW’s policy to euthanize any animal suspected of attacking a person.
A necropsy will be performed on the mountain lions to determine if they were part of the attack and if the animals had any abnormalities or were carrying neurological diseases such as rabies or avian flu.
The Larimer County coroner is expected to release the victim’s name and cause of death.
Colorado is home to between 3,800 and 4,400 mountain lions. CPW reports 28 attacks on people since 1990, but the last fatal attack was in 1999.
According to a post from CPW, “Along the Front Range and Larimer County, hikers and people enjoying the outdoors should expect to encounter wildlife. Mountain lions are more visible in winter as they follow deer and elk to lower elevations. If lions are spotted, make noise to scare them from the area, hold objects overhead to appear bigger and start backing away from the animal. Pets should be kept on-leash and not interact with wildlife.”
