Mountain Lion euthanized after injuring girl in Chaffee County
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) euthanized a young mountain lion after it injured an 11-year-old girl Wednesday in Chaffee County.
CPW said the girl was attacked when she entered her family's chicken coop to check on her chickens. The girl found a dead chicken on the ground outside the coop and when she opened the door, the mountain lion swatted her in the face.
According to CPW, wildlife officers responded to the home in a rural area southeast of Buena Vista and found the juvenile cat still in the chicken coop. It was quickly euthanized and its remains were sent to a CPW animal health lab in Fort Collins for examination.
The girl was treated for a small puncture wound at an area hospital.
CPW said the cat was a young female that weighed about 30 pounds and appeared to be in good condition.
“This was a small mountain lion probably just looking for an easy meal in the chicken coop,” said Sean Shepherd, Area Wildlife Manager based in Salida. “The victim likely surprised the lion. It probably felt threatened and it swatted at her as she entered.”
“Mountain lion attacks are rare, but we can’t take any chances when any predator makes contact with a human,” Shepherd added. “And we need to know if there was anything else going on with this lion, such as rabies, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or some other infection that may have influenced its behavior. So it must be euthanized and tested.”
CPW encourages residents to report mountain lion sightings or activity near their homes by calling their local CPW office or by calling Colorado State Patrol after business hours.
According to CPW, this is the 25th known attack of a mountain lion causing injury to a human in Colorado since 1990. Three other attacks in Colorado since 1990 have resulted in human deaths. CPW does not characterize lion depredation of pets or other animals as attacks.
For more information on living with mountain lions in Colorado, visit https://cpw.state.co.us/lions.
