On March 18, a frightening incident occurred in Chaffee County, Colorado, when a mountain lion attacked a man taking a soak in a hot tub with his wife at a rental property.
The man and his wife reported that he felt something grab him on the head, and they began to yell and splash water at the animal. After shining a flashlight on it, they noticed it was a mountain lion.
The light and noise startled the creature, and it scampered away, only to watch them from the top of a hill. The two hurried back into the house, and the victim had four light scratches on his head and near his ear.
Unfortunately, due to the frozen snow and cold temperatures, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officers were unable to find any tracks. CPW set a trap nearby in the hope of catching the mountain lion, and alerted the neighbors and posted signs to warn of mountain lion activity.
Sean Shepherd, the local wildlife manager based in Salida, suggested that the animal may not have recognized the individuals in the hot tub and simply reacted to the man’s head movement which was at a lower elevation.
This is the first mountain lion attack on a human in Colorado this year and the 24th since 1990, three of which have tragically resulted in human deaths. Residents have been asked to be on the lookout for any sightings of the wildcat and contact their Salida office during the day or Colorado State Patrol after business hours.