Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reporting that a mountain lion was euthanized in Buena Vista Thursday, May 11th, after it swatted at a young girl causing a puncture wound to her face.
According to CPW, they responded to a house in a rural area southeast of Buena Vista, where they found the young mountain lion in a chicken coop. The 11-year-old girl said she was attacked when she entered the chicken coop. The girl said she went to check on her chickens after she found one dead on the ground. When she opened the door, the mountain lion was inside and swatted at her face.
RELATED: Nathrop Man Suffers Minor Injuries in Mountain Lion Attack
The girl was taken to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center for treatment.
This marks the 25th known attack of a mountain lion causing injury to a human in Colorado since 1990. This most recent interaction between a mountain lion and a human follows a March incident where a man was attacked while sitting in an in-ground hot tub in Nathrop.
Though mountain lion attacks are relatively rare, it is important to know how to avoid or manage potential encounters. To learn more about living with mountain lions in Colorado, visit cpw.state.co.us/lions.
Wildlife officers will continue to monitor lion activity in the area. Officials encourage residents to keep reporting mountain lion sightings or activity near their homes by calling CPW’s Salida office at 719-530-5520 or calling Colorado State Patrol at 719-544-2424 after business hours.
