A Colorado jogger fought off a cougar in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain on Monday, suffering severe bites before he killed the wild animal in self-defence, authorities said.
The man, who was not identified, was jogging on a trail on the West Ridge of the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, a mountain park about 66 miles northwest of Denver, officials said.
A juvenile cougar attacked him from behind, biting and clawing the man’s face, back, legs and arms, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources said in a joint release, late on Monday.
It was not disclosed how the jogger killed the animal, and no one from the CPW or the Larimer DNR was available for comment early Tuesday.
The runner was able to get to a local hospital, officials said. His injuries were serious but not life-threatening, they said.
The animal’s body was recovered near the trail and the jogger’s dropped possessions and taken to a CPW lab for a necropsy, officials said.
“The runner did everything he could to save his life,” said Mark Leslie, CPW Northeast Regional Manager. “In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back, just as this gentleman did.”
Cougar attacks have caused fewer than 20 fatalities in the United States in the past 100 years. Sixteen known attacks have occurred in Colorado since 1990, officials said.
“Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion’s hunting instincts were triggered by the runner,” said Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for the CPW in a statement. “This could have had a very different outcome.”
Ted T
I live on the western slope of Colorado
And there are a lot of mountain lion in western Colorado .
Kim C. L
Could have been, Chuck Norris?
What a horrible thing to experience and endure, he has all my admiration.
And yes, when he gets better, I’ll be jealous of that story, and, with the scars to back it up!!
Scot B
I wonder if two gentleman turned up to remind the anonymous jogger about his cougar attack.
Steven B
“Sir, you do not understand. You WERE NOT attacked by a cougar nor did you kill a cougar. You will do well to remember it was simply a deranged house cat.”
Scot B
Yes deranged by it’s captivity in a meth lab. It’s size magnified by the light of Jupiter and swamp gas. Probably spooked by a weather balloon.
Annalisa H
Hahahahaha…too funny!! Thanks~I needed that?
Asheim
I would really like to know how he killed the cougar. We have Lynx in our forest and they get pretty dang big but I am amazed that he could over power it. Perhaps he was carrying a knife of some sort.
Denise F
YESSS. I was thinking that myself. Wouldn’t a BIG part of the story usually be how he fought off and killed the cougar?
Steve E
Dang, I really wanted to know how he killed it, until then, I’ve got my Benchmade…
Richard W
Since the authorities are being quiet about how he managed to kill the cougar, perhaps he was carrying. A logical thing to do.
Investigation Cryptoparaology
Come on people do your research, its been all over the news , in the news papers, it said plainly in all sources I have read that he got loose from it, jumped on its back and used his hands and legs to choke it to death
Investigation Cryptoparaology
https://www.foxnews.com/us/crazy-but-true-colorado-runner-survives-mountain-lion-attack-by-choking-animal-to-death
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mountain-lion-colorado-choking-man-kills_us_5c5a26a3e4b08710475886a5
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/us/man-kills-cougar-mountain-lion.html
RubenD S
My theory: A sasquatch saw the attack and went to the hiker’s aid by strangling the big cat. I don’t believe too many people can take out a lion when it’s in attack mode. Hence, the cover-up and misinformation campaign.
Charles B
Guns are legal in Colorado