Mountain Lion Kills Man in Northern Part of State, First Fatal Encounter in Decades
One of two brothers hiking in the Northern California woods was killed by a mountain lion on Saturday, while the surviving brother was injured.
The attack took place near the El Dorado National Forest, which is a little over 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, according to ABC.
The attack was the first in the state in 20 years and the first in the region in 30 years.
On Saturday, an 18-year-old and his 21-year-old brother were searching the woods for shed deer antlers when they were attacked.
Police became aware of the incident after a 1:13 p.m. 911 call, during which the younger of the two said they had been attacked and had become separated, according to a statement from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
The first responders reached the scene at about 1:34 p.m. They began treating the younger brother who, according to SFGate, suffered severe traumatic injuries to his face.
Following the mountain lion attack today, Sat., March 23, 2024, in Georgetown, California, a mountain lion was euthanized near the scene of the attack. The mountain lion has been sent to the CDFW forensics laboratory to obtain DNA information and general health of the lion.
— California Department of Fish and Wildlife (@CaliforniaDFW) March 24, 2024
Deputies searched for the 21-year-old, and found him lying motionless with the mountain lion crouched between deputies and the victim.
“Deputies discharged their firearms in order to scare the mountain lion off so they could render medical aid,” the sheriff’s office said.
The animal retreated, but the victim of the attack was dead, deputies said.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife game wardens and an El Dorado County trapper hunted for the mountain lion, which was later killed.
Mountain lion attacks two brothers, killing one and injuring the other
Read more ⬇️https://t.co/NYfJhhzRa6
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 24, 2024
The last recorded fatal mountain lion attack took place in January 2004 in Orange County in Southern California.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the last time a mountain lion killed a human in the area where Saturday’s attack took place was in 1994, according to SFGate.
Barbara Schoener, 40, was jogging when she was attacked from behind.
In the case, Schoener’s body was covered by leaves, leading police to think at one time a person had killed her.
Officials have not released the names of the people who were attacked, according to CBS.
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