There’s a story blowing up on Twitter right now about a Colorado man who reportedly fought off and killed a mountain lion that attacked him while he was out for a trail run:
A man is recovering after he fought off and killed a mountain lion that attacked him during a trail run in northern Colorado https://t.co/oHBP213je3 pic.twitter.com/g3F1FghnQQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 5, 2019
NBC News, Reuters, The Daily Beast, and just about every other outlet you can think of is covering it. But the headlines, including this one from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, don’t tell the entire story…
More on today's mountain lion attack at Horsetooth Reservoir Open Space: the trail runner is recovering from his injuries, and the lion was killed as the victim defended himself on the trail. A necropsy will be performed by @COParksWildlife. More details: https://t.co/RVX0pfMg62
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) February 5, 2019
The mountain lion was actually a juvenile but CPW doesn’t say how young or how big it was:
As wildlife officers searched the trail area provided by the runner, the body of a juvenile mountain lion was found within feet of several possessions that the victim asked the officers to look for on the trail. The lion has been taken to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife animal health lab for a necropsy.
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Officials are calling it a case of self-defense:
“The runner did everything he could to save his life. In the event of a lion attack you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did,” said Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region manager.
And according to CPW, the runner didn’t even use a weapon to kill the mountain lion:
He defended himself without the use of weapons.
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) February 5, 2019
So, how much did the juvenile animal weigh that a runner was able to kill it with what sounds like the use of his bare hands? More information, please.
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