Woman killed in suspected mountain lion attack in Colorado

A woman was killed Thursday afternoon in what Colorado wildlife officers are investigating as a potential mountain lion attack on a trail near Estes Park, according to state officials.

Hikers on the Crosier Mountain Trail in unincorporated Larimer County, south of Glen Haven, spotted a mountain lion near a woman who was lying on the ground at around 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoos​e said.

As the hikers approached, they threw rocks at the mountain lion to scare it away from the woman’s body, Van Hoos​e said. One of the hikers, a physician, examined the woman and couldn’t find a pulse, she said.

The woman, who investigators believe was hiking alone on the trail, died from unspecified injuries and will be publicly identified by the Larimer County Coroner’s Office. The office also will release her cause of death.

State and local authorities searched on the ground and by air for the animal believed to be involved in the fatal attack and euthanized two mountain lions near the scene, Van Hoos​e said.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists will examine the euthanized mountain lions to find any abnormalities or diseases that may have affected the animals.

The wildlife agency’s northeast regional office announced it was investigating a suspected mountain lion attack south of Glen Haven just before 4:45 p.m. Thursday. Glen Haven is about 7 miles northeast of Estes Park and just over a mile north of Crosier Mountain.

All three Crosier Mountain trailheads — Glen Haven, Rainbow and Garden Gate — were shut down Thursday afternoon after the attack, according to the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department.

The nearby Houston Heights trailhead also was closed, the department said.

Investigators are working to determine if one or several mountain lions were involved in the attack, she said.

Colorado is home to 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions, according to estimates from Parks and Wildlife.

“Mountain lions are most active from dusk to dawn, although they travel and hunt in daylight,” agency officials wrote on a webpage about the species. “Mountain lions stalk prey and attack with a rush, often from behind. Their powerful bite crushes the windpipe of their prey or breaks the neck during a kill.”

People should walk or hike in groups and make noise to avoid surprising a mountain lion in its territory, according to Parks and Wildlife.

If hikers do run into the animal, they should speak calmly, move slowly and avoid running, agency officials said. People should also raise their arms, open their jacket and pick up small children or pets to appear larger.

“If the lion behaves aggressively, throw objects, wave your arms and speak firmly,” agency officials wrote. “If the lion does not leave the area, face the lion and slowly back away. Fight back if attacked.”

Before Thursday’s fatal incident, Colorado Parks and Wildlife had recorded only 28 mountain lion attacks on humans since 1990, Van Hoos​e said. The most recent fatal attack happened in 1999, according to the agency.