Man kills mountain lion with shovel in self-defense

(FREMONT COUNTY, Colo.) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is investigating an incident where a man killed a mountain lion in self-defense near Cañon City.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, a CPW officer responded to a report of an aggressive mountain lion. Upon arrival, the officer found a man with a dead lion on the hood of his Jeep in a campground west of Cañon City.

CPW said the man told the officer he was sitting outside his car with his dog the previous night when a mountain lion approached them. The man said his husky began barking and growling as the lion approached and when it got within about 10 feet, the dog engaged it.

Then, the man grabbed a shovel and used it to strike the lion in the head, killing it.

Since the man was not touched by the lion nor sustained any injuries, this incident does not qualify as a mountain lion attack according to CPW. Lion attacks are rare in Colorado, with just 25 attacks on humans since 1990.

However, CPW recommends these simple precautions when mountain lions are near or on your property:

• Make a lot of noise if you come and go during dusk and dawn, the times most lions are active.
• Install outside lighting so you can see a lion if it were present.
• Closely supervise children whenever they play outside.
• Landscape and remove vegetation to decrease hiding places for lions.
• Planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer often prefer to eat encourages wildlife to come onto your property.
• Keep your pet under control. Pets are easy prey and they attract lions.
• Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns.

CPW’s preliminary finding was that the man acted out of fear for his life and in self-defense when the lion acted “unusual and extremely aggressive”.

The CPW officer described the lion as a female that weighed around 95 pounds. Further inspection showed the lion had an injury to its right paw and scratches along its back. The body was shipped to a CPW animal health lab for necropsy.

CPW has no further comment on the incident as the case is still an open investigation.

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