Runner kills mountain lion after getting attacked while running

How to kill a cougar wrote:

Lacking details wrote:

How?

How I would do it is by choking it.

Experts say poking the eyes are usually your only chance against a big one

Them too wrote:

[quote]ukathleticscoach wrote:

Those millennial cats are gonna be a real problem

They feel entitled to kill runners.

appreciate dudes like this wrote:

The animal he defended himself against is a vicious dangerous killer with no sense of the pain and suffering that it inflicts upon other animals. Imagine a person going around biting out the throats of other people and scratching out their guts with sharp knives like the claws of a big cat. That is what these animals do to others throughout nature and in no way can that be seen as a good thing

The dude just defended himself against a savage merciless killer that would have gone on killing other animals in the most painful way possible. It is not a bad thing to civilize nature a little now and then and hopefully the trails he runs on are now just a little safer.

Compared to humans who DO know the pain and suffering they inflict, but continue to do so...

Civilize nature? You're ignorant beyond your years. Predators help maintain the civility of nature. Read a book.

Cougar hunting wrote:

How to kill a cougar wrote:

How I would do it is by choking it.

Experts say poking the eyes are usually your only chance against a big one

Yes- poking out your own eyes so you don't have to witness what the cat is capable of doing to your body!

“You gotta learn to drive with the fear, and there ain’t nothing more God damn frightening than driving with a live cougar in the car.” — Reese Bobby

WallowGawker wrote:

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/05/how-runner-killed-mountain-lion-attack-larimer-county/

"Once he fended the mountain lion off, he counter-attacked the cat by getting on top of it, she said. There are still a few mysteries, though, including exactly how he suffocated the animal."

This, my fellow scrawny running friends, is a true alpha male.

"Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers confirmed through a necropsy that a jogger..." Burn!

Has it been confirmed that this was not just Cat-Gun-Girl on the prowl?

HahaRiiiiiiight wrote:

ukathleticscoach wrote:

Reports say the cat was a juvenile. I assume it was significantly smaller than full size to be identified as such.

Hundreds of thousands of people are bitten by dogs each year in the USA. How many by cougars, a handful.

Ya, a juvenile could still be a 100 lb cat there guy - a 100lb cat that's trying to rip your head off by the way......

I don't even like to play with my 10 lb cat when the claws come out. I couldn't imagine a 100 lb cat with intent to kill.

Opinionated guy wrote:

Has it been confirmed that this was not just Cat-Gun-Girl on the prowl?

0 points for you.

Cat-Gun-PIRATE-Girl!

But good throwback reference.

joho wrote:

Cat-Gun-PIRATE-Girl!

Even those of average intelligence know that she would drop the pirate when blending into the environment in preparation for an attack. Think outside the box a little.

Lacking details wrote:

How?

How to kill a cougar wrote:

How I would do it is by choking it.

Exactly. Just stick your arm down it's throat, and that should do it.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

Reports say the cat was a juvenile. I assume it was significantly smaller than full size to be identified as such.

Hundreds of thousands of people are bitten by dogs each year in the USA. How many by cougars, a handful.

This is not your concern.

Anyone know if he was wearing Vaporflys? If so I'm afraid I can't accept this as a genuine lion wrestling PR.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

Reports say the cat was a juvenile. I assume it was significantly smaller than full size to be identified as such.

Hundreds of thousands of people are bitten by dogs each year in the USA. How many by cougars, a handful.

Uh, maybe it was an adult that identified as a juvenile?

The guy was lucky this was a young lion, possibly inexperienced and sick/weak. The fact that the lion created a noise suggests inexperience.

Does not say how big the runner is. Given a choice, lions prefer easier prey (smaller, shorter humans are more vulnerable).

Typically lions attack from behind by landing on the back of the neck. Often the initial impact will break the neck and kill almost instantly.

I have been lucky enough to see 3 lions while out running. I am sure many more have seen me.

Its the ones you do not see that you could worry about.

I don't worry because if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, there is normally little you can do to stop a healthy adult lion that attacks you. You likely will never see or hear it coming and it will be over quickly.

If you are a runner and still worried about lion attacks:

-do not run near dusk and dawn

-avoid areas where lions have vegetation and cover to hide

-avoid areas with many deer

-do not run alone

-run with people smaller and shorter than you

-run just in front of the others

-paint eyes on the back of your hats, so the lion does not know if it attacking from behind

-your running dog is lion prey, and may lead/attract lions to you.

heart bigger than a lion's wrote:

The guy was lucky this was a young lion, possibly inexperienced and sick/weak. The fact that the lion created a noise suggests inexperience.

.

The fact that the cat leapt onto his head indicates it was sufficiently strong and large to be a serious proposition.

Did he? wrote:

But did he finish his run?

Turned into an out and back

Since the article is behind a pay/adblock wall, here's the text that I extracted:

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers confirmed through a necropsy that a jogger on Horsetooth Mountain in Larimer County survived a rare attack by a young mountain lion by suffocating the animal to death.

“After additional investigation, including examination of the lion, we have confirmed the victim’s account that he was able to suffocate the animal while defending himself from attack,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials tweeted Tuesday morning.

Although the runner was bitten and injured after the mountain lion attacked him Monday from behind, he fought for his life and was able to kill the animal. Yet questions still remain.

It’s unclear whether the runner — who has not yet been identified publicly — strangled or smothered the mountain lion. He had no weapons, so he killed the cat with his bare, bleeding hands after climbing on top of the animal, state wildlife officials said.

“It’s an amazing story. Everyone is baffled and impressed,” said Rebecca Ferrell, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “He had no weapons, no knives or trekking poles with him. How did he do it? It’s pretty rare. That is definitely a twist on this, I’m sure.”

Monday’s incident took place in a 2,711-acre park west of Fort Collins in the foothills of Larimer County. It ranges in elevation from 5,430 feet to 7,255 feet and has 29 miles of recreational trails.

The victim was running on West Ridge Trail when he heard something behind him, Ferrell said. As he turned, he saw the mountain lion pounce for his head and neck, she said. The mountain lion bit him on the face and wrist. The victim managed to partially block the attack with his forearms, Ferrell said. He managed to fight and break free from the mountain lion.

Once he fended the mountain lion off, he counter-attacked the cat by getting on top of it, she said. There are still a few mysteries, though, including exactly how he suffocated the animal.

“We have several questions for him,” Ferrell said.

The victim was still in the hospital Tuesday receiving medical care, she said.

Wildlife officers spoke with the survivor of the mountain lion attack on Tuesday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

“We can let you know that the runner is doing well considering his ordeal, and will need a few days to decompress before deciding if he will speak publicly,” the tweet says.

Wildlife officers also searched the trail where the runner told them his fight with the mountain lion took place, a Parks and Wildlife news release says. They found the dead mountain lion within feet of possessions the victim asked the officers to look for, it says.

Although preliminary information from the necropsy confirms the jogger’s story about the cause of death, detailed information about the mountain lion’s injuries have not been released and could take several days before they are made public.

After being attacked Monday, the man hiked to safety and was able to get to a local hospital on his own, officials said. On Monday evening, the victim was treated for serious injuries including facial bite wounds and lacerations to his arms, legs and back.

Every type of potential scenario is being considered. Doctors will treat him for possible infections, she said. Medical staff already confirmed the lion, which was less than a year old, tested negative for rabies, “which is very welcome news,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.

Mountain lion attacks in Colorado are rare, officials said. The act of running may have triggered the young lion’s instinct to hunt.

“Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion’s hunting instincts were triggered by the runner,” said Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for CPW. “This could have had a very different outcome.”

“The runner did everything he could to save his life,” said Mark Leslie, CPW northeast region manager.

Ferrell said there are different survival strategies when a wild animal attacks a human. For some, the best strategy is to curl up and make yourself as small as possible. Not so with a mountain lion, she said.

People attacked by mountain lions should do what this victim did: fight for your life.

To avoid a physical confrontation, a person should speak firmly, throw rocks and make themselves appear bigger by standing tall and waving their arms and facing the mountain lion, Ferrell said.

“With a mountain lion, your best chance is to fight. If you make yourself small they will think you are prey,” Ferrell said.

RELATED: Gov. Polis celebrates Colorado trail runner who killed mountain lion but urges others not to emulate

RELATED: Tips to avoid a mountain lion attack in Colorado

Scared catless wrote:

YMMV wrote:

I managed to stare it down for 10+ minutes before backing off slowly with a rock in hand as it was getting dark. This occured about 15 miles from the fatal Snoqualmie attack last summer. Heads up to anyone who frequents the Tiger/Cougar Mt. trails!

When? Was it on the same trail?

Twenty years ago, and near Tiger Mt. But I was only surprised it took so long for this to happen, as the I-90 corridor is crawling with both recreationists and big cats.

According to the agent, the cat that I encountered shut down recess for a nearby elementary school and likely ended up as prey to I-90 a month later when it was hit while chasing a coyote.