Overview
- Hikers on the Crosier Mountain trail in Larimer County reported a puma near a person on the ground around 12:15 p.m. and a physician at the scene found no pulse.
- Wildlife officers fatally shot one puma at the site and later euthanized it after tracking, then killed a second nearby puma under state policy for public safety and forensic review.
- Both animals will be examined for human DNA and neurological diseases such as rabies or avian influenza to determine any involvement in the suspected attack.
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife coordinated a ground-and-air response with sheriff’s deputies, park police, volunteer firefighters, a state biologist in a helicopter, and K9 teams.
- CPW calls such incidents rare, citing 28 reported puma attacks since 1990 and the last fatality in 1999, with an estimated statewide population of roughly 3,800 to 4,400 pumas.