Mountain lion claws man sitting in hot tub in the head in Chaffee County
A mountain lion clawed a man in the head over the weekend while he was sitting in a hot tub a few miles west of the town of Nathrop in Chaffee County. Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife said it happened on Saturday night and that the man didn't suffer anything more than some minor scratches.
The attack happened at a rental home located next to Chalk Creek. The man and his wife were in the hot tub when suddenly the animal was clawing him. They screamed and splashed water at the mountain lion and shined a flashlight at it. It then retreated about 20 feet.
"They continued to scream at the mountain lion and after a short time it moved up to the top of a hill near some rocks where it crouched down and continued to watch the couple," CPW officials wrote in a news release.
Then they ran inside and called for help.
The mountain lion was gone by the time CPW officers arrived and after an unsuccessful attempt in the dark to locate it they set a trap for it.
Sean Shepherd, Area Wildlife Manager based in Salida, said in a prepared statement that the CPW "takes this incident very seriously" despite the fact that no one was badly hurt.
"We have alerted neighbors and posted signs warning of lion activity. And we will continue to track the lion and lion activity," Shepherd said.
CPW said the frozen snow on the ground made it impossible to follow any tracks the mountain lion may have left.
If anyone in the area sees a mountain lion near homes in the area around where the attack happened they are asked to contact the CPW office in nearby Salida at 719-530-5520. They can also call Colorado State Patrol at 719-544-2424 after business hours.
There have been 27 known incidents since 1990 in which a mountain lion attacked and injured a human in Colorado. Three of those attacks were fatal.
CPW encourages residents to keep reporting mountain lion sightings or activity near their homes; they can do so by calling
Saturday night's incident is the first reported mountain lion attack of a human in Colorado since Feb. 27, 2022. This is the 24th known attack of a mountain lion causing injury to a human in Colorado since 1990. Three other attacks in Colorado since 1990 have resulted in human deaths. CPW does not characterize lion depredation of pets or other animals as attacks.
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, go to https://cpw.state.co.us/lions.
Wildlife officers will continue to monitor lion activity in the Nathrop area. Officials do encourage residents to keep reporting mountain lion sightings or activity near their homes; they can do so by calling CPW's Salida office at 719-530-5520 or calling Colorado State Patrol at 719-544-2424 after business hours.
To reduce the risk of problems with mountain lions on or near your property, CPW urges you to follow these simple precautions:
- Make lots of noise if you come and go during the times mountain lions are most active: dusk to dawn.
- Install outside lighting. Light areas where you walk so you could see a lion if one were present.
- Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors. Make sure children are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one.
- Landscape or remove vegetation to eliminate hiding places for lions. Make it difficult for lions to approach unseen.
- Planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer often prefer to eat encourages wildlife to come onto your property. Predators follow prey. Never feed any wildlife.
- Keep your pet under control. Roaming pets are easy prey and can attract lions. Bring pets in at night. If you leave your pet outside, keep it in a kennel with a secure top. Don't feed pets outside; this can attract raccoons and other animals that are eaten by lions. Store all garbage securely.
- Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close doors to all outbuildings since inquisitive lions may go inside for a look.
