Cougar Euthanized After Killing Man and Attacking Another in Washington

Authorities put down a cougar they suspect is responsible for attacking two mountain bikers, one fatally, in North Bend, Washington.

“Fish and Wildlife has euthanized the cougar that is believed to be responsible for killing one man and attacking another earlier today,” the King County Sheriff’s Office in Washington tweeted on Saturday.

The sheriff’s office previously announced on Twitter that the victim who survived was in their 40s and transported to a local hospital. However, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle later tweeted that the injured victim was a 31-year-old male who was “awake and alert and in serious condition.”

The hospital said on Saturday evening that he had been “upgraded to satisfactory condition” and “will be admitted to the hospital for further care.”

The names of the victims have not been released.

Authorities were not immediately available for further comment.

According to CBS affiliate KIRO, the two victims were mountain biking in North Bend when the attack occurred around 11:20 a.m. Saturday. The cougar was still standing over the deceased victim’s body when first responders arrived, but then ran off, the outlet reports.

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Cougar attacks on people are rare, according to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

“In North America, roughly 25 fatalities and 95 nonfatal attacks have been reported during the past 100 years,” according to the organization. “However, more cougar attacks have been reported in the western United States and Canada over the past 20 years than in the previous 80. In Washington, of the one fatal and 15 nonfatal attacks reported here in the past 100 years, seven attacks occurred during the 1990s.”