Woman and dog attacked by mountain lion in Trinity County
TRINITY COUNTY -- Officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are investigating a mountain lion attack that injured a woman and her dog in Trinity County Monday afternoon.
According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife release issued Tuesday, the incident occurred approximately 3 p.m. in the area along State Route 299 near Big Bar.
According to CDFW officials, a woman was driving on State Route 299 when she stopped at a picnic area and exited the vehicle with her dog. AP identified the woman as 24-year-old Erin Wilson, a resident of rural Trinity County. As Wilson walked down a path with her dog, a 2 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois named Eva, slightly ahead of her, she noticed movement beside her. Suddenly, a mountain lion swiped her across her left shoulder, injuring her. When Wilson screamed in response, her dog immediately returned and engaged the mountain lion.
Wilson told CDFW officers the mountain lion bit the dog's head and refused to let go. She threw rocks, tugged and pulled at them to separate the animals, and even attempted to gouge the eyes out of the lion, but was unable to get the big cat to disengage. Wilson went back up to State Route 299 and flagged down a passing vehicle. The driver -- identified by the Sacramento Bee as Sharon Houston -- stopped, retrieved a can of pepper spray from her car and sprayed the lion in the face with little effect.
The mountain lion continued to try to drag the dog off the trail to a different location until the dog's owner and the passerby retrieved a piece of PVC pipe and began hitting the mountain lion until it finally released the dog. Wilson drove her dog straight to a veterinarian for emergency treatment. The CDFW said the dog's condition is guarded and it was unknown if the animal would survive. Wilson also drove herself to Redding to get medical treatment for the bite wounds, scratches, bruises and abrasions she sustained during the attack. Officials said her injuries are non-life threatening.
Wildlife officers have interviewed Wilson and Houston as well as the veterinarian and the emergency medical physician who treated Wilson and Evan, working with the medical personnel to collect appropriate samples for analysis. The samples were brought to the CDFW Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Sacramento and are being processed. Although DNA analysis from samples taken during the investigation are the most reliable way to conclusively prove an attack has occurred, CDFW officials said initial evidence from the investigation is strong enough to allow the agency to treat the investigation as a legitimate attack.
Those in the area of Trinity County should be aware that CDFW's Law Enforcement Division is working with allied agency partners to trap the mountain lion involved in the attack and will further evaluate the situation if it is caught. The CDFW also reminded Northern California residents to always be vigilant when recreating in mountain lion habitat.