A man was killed and his brother was injured Saturday when a mountain lion attacked them while they were combing a wooded area for deer antlers, according to authorities.
The attack in El Dorado County is believed to be the first fatal incident involving a mountain lion in California in 20 years.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at 1:13 p.m. from an 18-year-old who reported that he and his 21-year-old brother had been attacked by a mountain lion in a remote area of Georgetown. In the gold region of Northern California. The younger brother suffered “traumatic injuries” to his face and was separated from his brother during the attack, a sheriff's office news release said.
El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies and paramedics arrived to the area about 10 minutes later and provided medical aid to the 18-year-old. They soon found a mountain lion crouched next to the other murder victim, and shot the animal, scaring it away.
Two game wardens from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and a hunter from El Dorado County shot and killed the mountain lion, which was still in “close proximity” to the scene of the attack, said Sgt. Kyle Parker with the El Dorado Sheriff's Office said. Parker said that the animal's body was taken for examination “to determine why the attack occurred.”
The younger brother is expected to survive, officials said.
Beth Pratt, who heads the nonprofit National Wildlife Federation's #SaveLACougars campaign, posted on social media that this was the first fatal attack in California since 2004.
“Mountain lion attacks are extremely rare,” Pratt wrote. “Mountain lions have killed four people since 1986, in a state with a population of 40 million. These statistics do not diminish the tragedy that occurs when a person is killed or injured by a lion, but they do put the risks in perspective. Cars average 3,000 to 4,000 deaths each year in California.
“Most Americans’ encounters with mountain lions happen without us realizing it,” the post added.
In El Dorado County, a female runner was killed by a mountain lion in 1994. The victim's body was found near a Sierra foothills trail where she had been running, with signs of repeated attacks before she was dragged 100 feet downhill to a spot near a tree. Its body was covered with leaves and other debris, as mountain lions do to hide their prey. A week later, trackers found the animal and killed it.
Mountain lions, although common in rural El Dorado County, are not seen often during the day, because they are usually more active at night, Parker said. “They're kind of a unicorn in a way,” he said. “They're kind of elusive.”
But he said their cries are distinctive, like “a lady screaming.”
Wildlife authorities said encounters between humans and mountain lions are expected to increase due to the shared terrain.
To protect against attack, they are warning people not to hike alone and to keep children close, according to advice posted by El Dorado County. If you see a lion, do not approach it or run away. Rather, try to appear larger by raising your arms or opening your jacket. Try to chase him away by throwing stones or sticks. If attacked, stand and face the animal to avoid being bitten on the head or neck and fight back with rocks, sticks, hats, jackets, garden tools, or bare hands.
