Man attacked by mountain lion while sitting in hot tub in Colorado

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is searching for a mountain lion that reportedly attacked a man in Chaffee County on Saturday night. 

CPW officers were first made aware of a potential mountain lion attack at around 10 PM. According to a news release from CPW, four officers responded to a home located in a wooded area west of Nathrop. 

The victim reported that he was sitting in an in-ground hot tub with his wife when the attack occurred at roughly 8 PM.

"[...] he felt something grab his head. He and his wife began screaming and splashing water at the animal. The victim’s wife grabbed a flashlight and shined it on the animal, which they then identified as a mountain lion," the release said. 

The commotion reportedly scared the lion, which backed away to the top of a hill and watched the couple. 

The victim sustained superficial scratches on his head and near his right ear, that officers determined were consistent with mountain lion claws. The man cleaned the wounds on his own, and declined medical assistance. 

“We think it's likely the mountain lion saw the man’s head move in the darkness at ground-level but didn’t recognize the people in the hot tub,” said Sean Shepherd, Area Wildlife Manager based in Salida in the release. 

“The couple did the right thing by making noise and shining a light on the lion. Although this victim had only minor injuries, we take this incident seriously. We have alerted neighbors and posted signs warning of lion activity. And we will continue to track the lion and lion activity.”

Crews from CPW immediately began searching for the lion, but were not able to find tracks due to frozen snow. Officers have since set a trap to hopefully catch the lion. 

Contrary to what some may believe, mountain lions are not likely to attack humans. This incident marks the first reported mountain lion attack against a human in Colorado since February 27 of last year, and the 24th mountain lion attack resulting in an injury since 1990, CPW said. 

Still, it is important to know how to react if you run into one. If you encounter a mountain lion, do not approach them. Instead, slowly back away and do what you can to appear larger. If it attacks, stand your ground and fight back aggressively. 

CPW recommends that you supervise children while outdoors, remove potential hiding places in your yard (like shrubs, fences, and trees), and keep your pets under control at all times. 

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