Likelihood of being attacked by a mountain lion in California
(FOX40.COM) — On Saturday, an El Dorado County man was the first person killed in California by a mountain lion in 20 years, drawing the questions of how often these attacks happen; how often are they fatal and what are the chances of being attacked by a mountain lion?
Saturday’s attack left a 21-year-old man dead and his 18-year-old brother in the hospital, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
Mountain lion attack kills one in El Dorado County, sheriff’s office says
The two men were collecting deer antlers or antler shed hunting, which is common to do in early spring as bucks shed their winter racks for fresh spring antlers in time for mating season.
When deputies arrived at the scene of the attack they found the mountain lion still near the 21-year-old and shot at it.
The 18-year-old was sent to the hospital and has undergone multiple surgeries, but the sheriff’s office says he is fully expected to survive.
On Saturday night, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said a mountain lion near the scene of the attack was euthanized and sent to a forensics laboratory to obtain DNA information regarding “the general health of the lion.”
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It was just three months ago that residents in the rural Placer County community of Loomis were looking for solutions to a string of mountain lion attacks on their livestock.
While no humans were hurt by this big cat it pays a reminder that North America’s second-largest cat is not a distant myth of the high Sierra.
History of Fatal Mountain Lion Attacks in California
Since 1986, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed 21 mountain lion attacks, not including Saturday’s. Of those 21 attacks, three have been fatal.
The first of these fatal attacks occurred in El Dorado County in April 1994 when a 40-year-old woman was killed in the Auburn State Recreation Area.
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A second attack would come in 1994 when a 56-year-old woman was killed in December in Cuyamaca State Park, San Diego County.
A Los Angeles Times article from Dec. 13, 1994, says the woman was hiking and bird-watching when she was attacked.
The article also discusses studies of the region’s mountain lion population and their increased aggression levels towards humans.
California’s most recent mountain lion attack, before Saturday’s, was in January 2004 when a 35-year-old man was attacked in Whiting Ranch Regional Park, Orange County.
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Although CDFW does not have confirmed attack reports before 1986 they do note that there were four fatal attacks involving six people sometime between the 1890s and the early 1900s.
Likelihood of Mountain Lion Attack
The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as being “direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person.”
An attack is not verified until the injuries are determined to be caused by a mountain lion by a physician, law enforcement officer or CDFW personnel.
“A person is one thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion,” the CDFW writes.
In the case of a mountain lion encounter the CDFW has the following recommendations;
• Stay alert on trails. Keep pets leashed and walk with small children, don’t let them run ahead.
• Never approach a mountain lion. Give them an escape route.
• DO NOT RUN. Stay calm. Do not turn your back.
• Face the animal, make loud noise and try to look bigger. If with small children, put them on your shoulders.
• Do not crouch down or bend over.
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