California wildlife officials say a mountain lion attacked and killed a man for the first time in 20 years.
According to a statement by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, the incident happened over the weekend in a remote area near Georgetown, California, as two brothers, 18 and 21, were shed antler hunting.
Spokesmen with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to the scene at 1:13 p.m. after the 18-year-old called 911 to report the attack. When they arrived they found the man with traumatic injuries to his face.
Then, after about 30 minutes of searching, officers found the other man with the mountain lion crouched over him. They discharged their firearms to scare off the cougar and render aid to the man, but he was already dead.
Within a few hours of the encounter, a professional trapper, authorized by the CDFW, located and euthanized the mountain lion. According to the CDFW, officials confirmed that DNA samples collected at the scene matched the euthanized animal.
They added that the animal weighed approximately 90 pounds and appeared healthy, but they will continue analyzing necropsy results to determine if it had any underlying health conditions.
In a statement, CDFW advised that mountain lion attacks are uncommon but do occasionally happen as most of the state is a suitable mountain lion habitat.
