Cyclists pin down 75-pound cougar with bike after it mauls friend, WA officials say
A group of cyclists pinned down a 75-pound cougar when it attacked their 60-year-old friend on a Washington trail, officials said.
The bikers reported being “stalked and attacked” by the animal at about 12:25 p.m. on Feb. 17 along Tokul Creek near Fall City, the King County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“It jumped from the side of the road and latched onto her,” Washington Department Fish and Wildlife Sgt. Carlo Pace told KOMO.
The four other cyclists in the group used a mountain bike to pin down the animal until rescuers got to the trail, deputies and news outlet reported.
But the woman sustained injuries to her neck and face in the mauling, the wildlife agency said in a news release.
She was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, deputies said. She’s still in the hospital as of Feb. 20, wildlife police told McClatchy News.
“If it wasn’t for the response of her friends, it could’ve been much worse because these animals are lethal,” Pace told KIRO.
Wildlife officers euthanized the 75-pound cougar, which are also called mountain lions. The animal’s body will be reviewed and tested for diseases, its age and body condition, wildlife officials said.
A second cougar was also reported being seen in the area, officials said, but it was never found.
Fall City is about 25 miles southeast of Seattle.
As of 2022, there were about 3,600 cougars in Washington, the wildlife agency said.
What to do if you see a mountain lion
Mountain lions are typically “calm, quiet and elusive,” according to the National Park Service. While attacks involving mountain lions are rare, they are possible.
“Even so, the potential for being killed or injured by a mountain lion is quite low compared to many other natural hazards,” the National Park Service said on its website. “There is a far greater risk, for example, of being killed in an automobile accident with a deer than of being attacked by a mountain lion.”
Officials said there are some things you do take to prevent a mountain lion encounter from becoming an attack.
Stay calm and back away slowly.
Face the lion and stand up straight.
Don’t approach a mountain lion, especially if it’s with kittens.
Don’t run. It could stimulate a mountain lion’s chase instincts.
Pick up small children so they don’t panic or run away.
Don’t bend over or crouch down.
Throw things at the mountain lion if it continues to move toward you.
If the mountain lion attacks, fight back using anything around you.
Report all sightings, encounters or attacks to local park rangers or law enforcement.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Cyclists pin down 75-pound cougar with bike after it mauls friend, WA officials say."
