Mountain lion 'out for blood' killed after attacking bikers
Friday, January 9, 2004 Posted: 12:03 PM EST (1703 GMT)
California authorities stand near a dead mountain lion that attacked two female mountain bikers Thursday in the Foothill Ranch region of Orange County.
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Animal expert: Mountain lion attack rare
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- California authorities shot and killed a mountain lion that attacked two female mountain bikers Thursday afternoon in the Foothill Ranch region of Orange County, California, leaving one woman in critical condition and another badly shaken.
The body of another apparent attack victim was discovered nearby.
The bikers were attacked while riding trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. One of the women, Debbie Nichols, described to reporters at the scene how the mountain lion dragged her companion 100 yards into the brush while she held on to her legs and screamed for help.
"This guy (the lion) would not let go," she said. "He had hold of her face."
Nils Magnuson said he heard screams from the two women and that it "sounded like they were in agony." When he got to the scene, he said, the mountain lion had the woman by her head and Nichols was holding onto her friend by her legs, preventing the big cat from dragging her farther into the brush.
"It was a tug of war between the lion and Debbie," Magnuson said on CNN's American Morning. "She had her arms around (her friend's) legs and was holding on with all her might. She showed incredible courage. She was inches from this huge cat. It was an unreal experience."
Magnuson and other mountain bikers in the vicinity, including Mike Castellano, started throwing rocks trying to scare off the lion.
"I've been on the trail hundreds of time," Castellano said. "I have seen a few mountain lions in my time. Usually, you come around a corner and they scatter in the brush. But this lion was hunting. This wasn't random. It pounced on her as she came by."
Personnel from the Orange County Sheriff's Department killed the mountain lion Thursday evening.
"The mountain lion was shot 10 feet from the first attack," according to Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority, who said the animal was hiding in the brush. He described it as a young male mountain lion -- one to two years old -- weighing about 110 pounds.
The Department of Fish and Game will conduct tests to determine if the animal killed was the mountain lion that attacked the bikers, Miller said, noting that attacks of this type are unusual.
Authorities said the body of another person who "appeared to be" the victim of a mountain lion attack was found during the search and rescue for Thursday's victims. An official at the scene said that victim had been in the wilderness for an undetermined period of time.
Testing will also be done on the corpse to determine if it was killed by the same lion.
Friday, January 9, 2004 Posted: 12:03 PM EST (1703 GMT)
California authorities stand near a dead mountain lion that attacked two female mountain bikers Thursday in the Foothill Ranch region of Orange County.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story Tools
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
California
Forestry and Timber
or Create your own
Manage alerts | What is this?
RELATED
Animal expert: Mountain lion attack rare
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- California authorities shot and killed a mountain lion that attacked two female mountain bikers Thursday afternoon in the Foothill Ranch region of Orange County, California, leaving one woman in critical condition and another badly shaken.
The body of another apparent attack victim was discovered nearby.
The bikers were attacked while riding trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. One of the women, Debbie Nichols, described to reporters at the scene how the mountain lion dragged her companion 100 yards into the brush while she held on to her legs and screamed for help.
"This guy (the lion) would not let go," she said. "He had hold of her face."
Nils Magnuson said he heard screams from the two women and that it "sounded like they were in agony." When he got to the scene, he said, the mountain lion had the woman by her head and Nichols was holding onto her friend by her legs, preventing the big cat from dragging her farther into the brush.
"It was a tug of war between the lion and Debbie," Magnuson said on CNN's American Morning. "She had her arms around (her friend's) legs and was holding on with all her might. She showed incredible courage. She was inches from this huge cat. It was an unreal experience."
Magnuson and other mountain bikers in the vicinity, including Mike Castellano, started throwing rocks trying to scare off the lion.
"I've been on the trail hundreds of time," Castellano said. "I have seen a few mountain lions in my time. Usually, you come around a corner and they scatter in the brush. But this lion was hunting. This wasn't random. It pounced on her as she came by."
Personnel from the Orange County Sheriff's Department killed the mountain lion Thursday evening.
"The mountain lion was shot 10 feet from the first attack," according to Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority, who said the animal was hiding in the brush. He described it as a young male mountain lion -- one to two years old -- weighing about 110 pounds.
The Department of Fish and Game will conduct tests to determine if the animal killed was the mountain lion that attacked the bikers, Miller said, noting that attacks of this type are unusual.
Authorities said the body of another person who "appeared to be" the victim of a mountain lion attack was found during the search and rescue for Thursday's victims. An official at the scene said that victim had been in the wilderness for an undetermined period of time.
Testing will also be done on the corpse to determine if it was killed by the same lion.