One man dead, brother injured, in California mountain lion attack

GEORGETOWN, Calif. (WISH) — One man is dead and another was injured during a mountain lion attack in Northern California near Georgetown, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s the first fatal mountain lion attack in California in 20 years, according to authorities.

One of the victims called authorities around 1:13 p.m. local time Saturday to report that he and his brother were attacked by a mountain lion while antler shed hunting.

According to the release, the caller was separated from his brother during the attack and suffered “traumatic injuries” to his face. Deputies and paramedics provided aid and took him to a hospital.

Deputies found the missing brother on the ground next to the crouched mountain lion roughly 30 minutes after being called.

Deputies had to fire their weapons to scare off the mountain lion to get to the brother.

“Deputies discharged their firearms in order to scare the mountain lion off so they could render medical aid,” the release said. “When they reached him, they realized he had died.”

The last time someone died in California from a fatal mountain lion attack was in 2004, when a 35-year-old man was killed at Whiting Ranch Region Park in Orange County, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the El Dorado County Trapper later found the mountain lion involved in Saturday’s attack. The mountain lion was killed and it’s body was collected for further examination.

DNA confirmed it was the same animal that fatally attacked the man.

The department will now try to find out why this attack happened.

Since 1890, there have been fewer than 50 reported mountain lion attacks on humans in California, and only six of those have been fatal, according to California wildlife officials. In most cases, the person was alone when the attack occurred, according to the department.