Runner fought off mountain lion with stick just weeks before fatal attack on same Colorado trail

Weeks earlier a hiker was killed successful a suspected upland lion onslaught successful Colorado, a antheral was astir attacked by different 1 connected the aforesaid trail.

Gary Messina said helium was rushed by a upland lion portion moving on the aforesaid bluish Colorado way connected a acheronian greeting successful November.

Messina said helium threw his telephone astatine the carnal portion it kept circling down him, and was capable to get distant aft a mates of minutes erstwhile helium broke a instrumentality disconnected of a log and deed the upland lion implicit the caput with it.

"I had to combat it disconnected due to the fact that it was fundamentally trying to maul me," Messina told The Associated Press. "I was frightened for my beingness and I wasn’t capable to escape. I tried backing up and it would effort to lunge astatine me."

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A upland lion is pictured astatine the Wildlife Rescue Center successful Alajuela, Costa Rica, connected September 16, 2024. (Ezequiel Becerra/AFP via Getty Images)

A pistillate who was recovered dormant connected the aforesaid way connected New Year’s Day had "wounds accordant with a upland lion attack," a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman said.

"Around 12:15 this afternoon, hikers connected the Crosier Mountain way successful Larimer County observed a upland lion adjacent a idiosyncratic lying connected the crushed from astir 100 yards away," Kara Van Hoose said successful a Thursday quality conference.

After the suspected attack, wildlife officials killed 2 upland lions and are searching for a 3rd to find if the carnal had rabies oregon different disease.

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The onslaught was the archetypal fatal suspected upland lion mauling successful much than 25 years, with the past 1 occurring successful 1999.

This photograph provided by Gary Messina shows a upland lion successful the brushwood betwixt 2 trees on the Crosier Mountain way successful the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests adjacent Glen Haven, Colo., connected Nov 11, 2025.  (Gary Messina via AP)

Messina said helium reported his incidental days aft and officials posted informing signs astir upland lions that were aboriginal taken down.

He said helium believes the carnal that attacked him whitethorn person been the aforesaid 1 that killed the New Year’s hiker.

Mountain lion sightings successful that country of the Rocky Mountains National Park are common, but the animals are seldom aggressive.

The New Year’s Day onslaught would beryllium the 4th fatal 1 successful North America successful the past decennary and the 30th since 1868, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation.

"As much radical live, work, and recreate successful areas that overlap wildlife habitat, interactions tin increase, not due to the fact that upland lions are becoming much aggressive, but due to the fact that overlap is growing," the organization’s main conservation officer, Byron Weckworth, said.

Authorities fishy a lone pistillate hiker successful Colorado was killed successful a uncommon upland lion onslaught connected New Year's Day.  (AP Digital Embed)

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To debar hazard of an attack, experts archer quality seekers to debar dawn and dusk erstwhile upland lions are astir progressive and to question successful groups.

During an encounter, experts accidental to support oculus interaction with the animal, effort to look arsenic ample arsenic possible, dilatory backmost distant without turning your backmost connected the carnal and to not run.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.