Mountain lion grabs man’s leg as he goes to investigate ‘thud’ on porch in Colorado
Michael Warren heard a thud coming from the front porch of his Colorado home.
His dogs began to bark at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, and he thought his pet cats were fighting outside. Warren cracked the door just enough to keep his dogs inside, but something brushed his leg, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.
“Shortly after he placed his leg between the opened door and the porch, he felt something grab his leg,” wildlife officials said in a March 3 news release. “He looked and said he saw a mountain lion run away.”
The 47-year-old Montezuma County man had several puncture wounds on his right leg. Security footage confirmed a mountain lion had attacked, according to Parks and Wildlife.
Wildlife officials searched for the mountain lion during the evening and the next morning. Hound dogs scoured the area, and officials set a trap at the man’s home.
The mountain lion likely visited the area before the attack, wildlife officials said.
Two of Warren’s house cats went missing before the attack. Days earlier, someone else reported chickens and a cat were attacked by a mountain lion.
“Judging by the tracks we found and the footage we have along with the victim’s statement, we believe it is a young, sub-adult lion,” district wildlife manager Matt Sturdevant said in a news release. “We also believe it is the same lion that had been hanging out in the area for a bit.”
The attack was the first involving a mountain lion in nearly two years in Colorado, Parks and Wildlife said. It’s the 23rd mountain lion attack where a person was injured since 1990.
“Though mountain lion attacks are relatively rare, it is important to know how to avoid or manage potential encounters,” wildlife officials said.
Mountain lions are usually calm and elusive, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Interactions between the animal and people have increased as more people have moved into its habitat.
Most mountain lion attacks are done by young lions who may have been forced to hunt on their own too soon, wildlife officials said.
People who come face-to-face with a mountain lion should stay calm and try to back away slowly. It helps to appear as large as possible.
If a mountain lion becomes aggressive, wildlife officials said it may help to throw stones or branches.
“Fight back if a lion attacks you. Lions have been driven away by prey that fights back,” wildlife officials said. “People have fought back with rocks, sticks, caps or jackets, garden tools and their bare hands successfully.”
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