First fatal mountain lion attack in 20 years leaves man dead and brother injured in Georgetown, California

One man died and another suffered “traumatic injuries” to his face after a mountain lion attack in rural California, the first in two decades.

The men, two brothers ages 21 and 18, were searching for detached antlers in a remote area of ​​Georgetown, a small community 50 miles from Sacramento.

Saturday, the 18-year-old called 911 to say he and his brother were attacked, leaving him with “traumatic facial injuries,” according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. The teenager added that he had been separated from his brother.

Rescuers arrived at the scene about 20 minutes later. They began treating the 18-year-old and launched a search for the 21-year-old.

“Shortly after the search began, they located a male down, and next to that individual was a mountain lion in a crouching position,” sheriff’s office spokesman Kyle Parker told KCRA 3.

The officers fired shots to scare the lion before discovering that the older man was already dead.

The animal was captured by rangers and trappers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He was euthanized near the scene of the attack, the sheriff’s office said.

“The cougar has been sent to the CDFW forensic laboratory for DNA information and the lion’s overall health,” the office wrote.

Cougar attacks are extremely rare and the last fatal encounter in the state occurred in 2004, according to CDFW records.

Since 1890, there have been fewer than 50 verified attacks on humans in California, only six of which have been fatal.

What makes the attack even rarer is that the victims are alone in most cases.

“When you hear things like that, you get a little nervous,” local Daniel Lesher told KCRA 3.

‘I was surprised to hear that he was going after humans. It is not unusual for them to go after livestock.

The circumstances surrounding the attack are unclear. The sheriff’s office says more information will be available after an investigation.

Mountain lions are solitary animals that travel alone except during mating or breeding season, according to the National Park Service.

They are known as a keystone species, keeping prey populations in check and eliminating invasive species.

In cases where lions attack humans, most are injured, stressed or hungry, the NPS says.

“A hungry, stressed cougar with only one good eye, observing large numbers of slow and often inattentive bipeds on park trails, may attack one of us humans in hopes of an easy meal,” wrote the agency on its website.