{"id":43941,"date":"2019-02-18T11:01:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T19:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=43941"},"modified":"2019-02-19T09:30:46","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T17:30:46","slug":"theres-no-clear-answer-questions-remain-after-mountain-lion-attacks-colorado-trail-runner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/theres-no-clear-answer-questions-remain-after-mountain-lion-attacks-colorado-trail-runner","title":{"rendered":"\u2018There\u2019s no clear answer\u2019: Questions Remain After Mountain Lion Attacks Colorado Trail Runner"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a recent Monday afternoon, Travis <\/span>Kauffman set out for <\/span>a 10- to 15-mile trail run just west of Fort Collins, Colorado. <\/span>From Lory State Park, the 31-year-old made his way to the <\/span>Towers Trail<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>Horsetooth Mountain Open Space<\/span>. Although it was first time running Towers, which tops out at above 7,000 feet, he\u2019d been there before on his mountain bike and knew it was an \u201cintense hill \u2026 good for getting some hill training in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After making his way along a spur of the\u00a0<\/span>West Ridge Trail<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>a shuffle in the pine needles behind him caught his attention. These types of noises don\u2019t always cause Kauffman to stop and turn around<\/span>\u2014<\/span>sometimes he\u2019ll continue running, chalking the rustling up to a small woodland creature. But in the back of his mind, he says, there\u2019s always the possibility it\u2019s something else. As Kauffman turned his head, one of his \u201cworst fears\u201d was confirmed: He saw a juvenile mountain lion staring back at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten days after he was attacked by a mountain lion, the Fort Collins resident shared his story of survival. The attack left the runner with serious, non-life-threatening injuries, but alive. Still, questions remain as to why the mountain lion attacked in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n

After spotting the mountain lion, Kauffman threw up his hands and started yelling, but nonetheless, it approached and lunged at him. \u201cIt latched onto my wrist, and then it started clawing along my face and legs,\u201d Kauffman recounted during a press conference Thursday. \u201cAs I tried to throw it off me … we kind of tumbled off the slope to the south side of the trail<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and from there, it was just a wrestling match.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The struggle continued until he managed to maneuver his foot to the mountain lion\u2019s neck, which he used to gradually suffocate the animal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After subduing the mountain lion, Kauffman ran back to the Towers Trail, where, after roughly 2 miles, he came across another trail runner who accompanied him downhill. Eventually, the pair encountered a married couple who offered to help. The husband went with the other trail runner to retrieve Kauffman\u2019s vehicle while the wife drove Kaufman to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries, and later released. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just one of those really weird, sensational stories. It\u2019s super rare,\u201d Kauffman <\/a><\/span>told Colorado Parks and Wildlife<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIt captures the imagination just because it\u2019s a modern-day man vs. nature scenario.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the attack, Larimer County rangers and state wildlife officers began an investigation. According to Rebecca Ferrell, the statewide public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), officials conduct an inquiry anytime there is a wildlife attack in order to survey the area and determine if the animal was \u201csick or injured and if it lashed out for reasons like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On the evening of Feb. 4, following a preliminary evaluation, Larimer County rangers briefly reopened the trails at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. But after County rangers encountered additional mountain lion activity in the area, all trails were closed\u00a0temporarily.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the weekend, CPW officers captured two juvenile mountain lions and moved them to a wildlife rehabilitation facility, with plans to release the cats into the wild at a later date. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have removed additional lions that we believe are siblings of the lion involved in last Monday’s attack,\u201d Mark Leslie, northeast region manager for CPW, said in a <\/span>news release<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Larimer County reopened Horsetooth Mountain Open Space on Tuesday, Feb. 13, but not without an additional warning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople should be aware that reopening Horsetooth Mountain Open Space to the public does not mean there are no mountain lions in the area,\u201d Steve Gibson, district manager for Larimer County Department of Natural Resources, said in the release<\/a>.\u201cWhile it’s located close to urban areas, Horsetooth Mountain Open Space is a wild place that supports many different animals. There will always be a chance to encounter wildlife on the property, including normally elusive mountain lions.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

At the press conference Thursday, officials released the necropsy report\u2014standard practice when animals have been either been euthanized by officers, or, in much rarer cases, killed by someone in self defense, according to CPW Public Information and Website Manager Lauren Truitt. But the results failed to provide conclusive reasons for the attack. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all wondering why this happened to Travis,\u201d Leslie said, \u201cbut unfortunately, there\u2019s no clear answer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The necropsy showed that the injuries sustained by the mountain lion were consistent with Kauffman’s account.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThere was blunt-force trauma to the skull. There was indication the animal was asphyxiated,\u201d Fort Collins Area Wildlife Manager Ty Petersburg said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no real definitive reason [for the attack],\u201d Ferrell noted. \u201cWe did the necropsy and we didn\u2019t find any real definitive reason why it would be attacking. It wasn\u2019t diseased, as far as we can tell at this point. \u2026 It was thin, but it wasn\u2019t starving or emaciated.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ferrell added that the mountain lion\u2019s juvenile age could have been a contributing factor leading to the attack. \u201cWe\u2019re guessing that, because of its young age, it really hadn\u2019t developed [hunting] skills yet, and in a way, we were kind of fortunate<\/span>\u2014not that you would ever want an attack\u2014but certainly <\/span>that the animal was young and smaller.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"An

According to the Mountain Lion Federation, adult mountain lions can grow to be anywhere from anywhere from 80 to 180 pounds, depending on age and gender. (Photo Courtesy:\u00a0Colorado Parks and Wildlife)<\/p><\/div>\n

Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado or the United States and, according to <\/span>Colorado Parks and Wildlife,<\/span><\/a> there have been fewer than 20 known fatalities due to mountain lion attacks in North America in more than 100 years. Since 1990, Colorado has counted 17 mountain lion-related injuries (including the Feb. 4 attack) and three fatalities.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the CPW<\/span><\/a>, in the last 20 years, Colorado has seen a modest increase in the number of human-mountain lion interactions, which CPW\u00a0<\/span>classifies as sightings on private property, missing animals, attacked pets, and aggressive behavior<\/span>. Ferrell said this information is chiefly collected by CPW via written submission forms, and to a lesser extent, calls made directly to CPW offices.<\/span><\/p>\n

CPW suggests that the modest increase may be attributed to the following factors:<\/span><\/p>\n