Colorado man attacked by mountain lion while sitting in hot tub

That’s one way to mess up the vibes.

A man was attacked from behind by a mountain lion while sitting in a hot tub outside a rental home in rural Colorado.

The incident occurred around 8:00 p.m. Saturday night in a wooded area approximately five miles west of Nathrop. The man told authorities that he was soaking in the jacuzzi with his wife when he felt something grab his head.

“He and his wife started yelling and splashing water at the animal,” he said. Colorado Parks and Wildlife in a sentence.

The man’s wife then shone a flashlight on the animal and saw that it was a mountain lion. The light, splash, and noise caused the animal to back up about 20 feet away.

“They continued to yell at the puma and after a short time it climbed to the top of a hill near some rocks where it crouched down and continued to watch the pair,” the statement continued.

The couple then returned to the home to call authorities.

The wildlife agency said the man had superficial scratches on the top of his head and on his right ear that were consistent with the claws of a mountain lion. First aid had already been administered when Parks and Wildlife arrived at the home and refused further medical assistance.

Wildlife officials set up a trap but were unable to find the animal due to snowy conditions.

The agency said this was the 24th attack by a mountain lion on a human in Colorado since 1990 and the first since last year. Three of those attacks were fatal.

“We think it likely that the mountain lion saw the man’s head move in the darkness at ground level, but did not recognize the people in the hot tub,” Sean Shepherd, area wildlife manager, said in the statement. “The couple did the right thing by making noise and lighting the lion.”

“Although this victim only had minor injuries, we take this incident seriously,” he continued. “We have alerted the neighbors and put up warning signs about the activity of the lions. And we will continue to track lion and lion activity.”