FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) – Wildlife officials say a man who fought off a young mountain lion on a northern Colorado trail killed the animal by choking it.
The man was running alone near Fort Collins on Monday when the lion attacked him from behind after the movement apparently triggered its hunting instincts.
A spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Rebecca Ferrell, says the man told investigators he choked it and an examination of the animal confirmed that.
Ferrell says he did exactly the right thing by fighting back as hard as he could. Since he was just out for a run, he didn’t have anything to help him other than “sheer will.”
The agency isn’t identifying the man because of its investigation. He was hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery.
Mountain lions attacks are rare. Sixteen people have been injured and three killed by mountain lions in Colorado since 1990.
