In a rare attack on humans, a mountain lion killed a man and injured his brother while the men were in a remote area of Northern California on Saturday, officials said.
The brothers, ages 18 and 21, were attacked in Georgetown, Calif., about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento. El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
At 1:13 a.m. Saturday, the younger brother called 911 to report that the two had been assaulted and that he had become separated from his brother.
The caller told officers he suffered “traumatic injuries to his face” during the attack, according to the report.
Deputies and paramedics arrived and helped the younger brother. Deputies then began searching and found the mountain lion curled up next to the older brother, officials said.
“The mountain lion was between the deputies and the subject on the ground,” the sheriff's office said.
Deputies fired shots to scare off the animals to help the older brother. “Unfortunately, the male subject has passed away,” the report said.
The names of the victims have not been released. The surviving brother underwent multiple surgeries for his injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, Sgt. Kyle Parker of the sheriff's office quoted a family spokesman as saying:
Parker said the brothers were looking for spilled antlers when the sergeant was attacked.
Wardens and engineers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and an engineer for El Dorado County helped locate the mountain lion, the sheriff's office said.
The mountain lion was euthanized near the site of the attack. According to the departmentIt noted that the remains have been sent to a forensic laboratory to obtain DNA and assess her general health.
Mountain lion Attacks on humans are rare According to the department.
Since 1890, there have been fewer than 50 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California, only six of which were fatal, the department said.
The Last Death Encounter A man had a mountain lion in Orange County, California in 2004. In most cases, the victim was alone when the attack occurred, the department said.
The mountain lion is known by more than 40 different common names, including puma, cougar, panther, red tiger, catamount and screamer, the state agency said.
They live in a variety of habitats throughout California, including temperate redwood forests, foothills, and mountains.
