One man is dead and another is injured after they were attacked by a cougar Saturday while mountain biking in Washington State, police said.
King County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott said the pair, whose identities haven’t been released, were attacked while they were going for a mountain bike ride in North Bend, east of Seattle.
It is not clear if the victims were biking together or separately.
I am heading to the scene of the Cougar attack. One victim 40’s transported to HVH for treatment. Second victim found dead from attack. I will update with additional info when I arrive.
— King County Sheriff's Office PIO (@kingcosoPIO) May 19, 2018
The 31-year-old survivor was taken to Harborview medical Center where he remains in serious condition, the hospital said in a statement. He was alert and was heard talking.
The second victim was found dead and, according to Abbott, had not been removed from the scene.
A mountain biker was found dead with a cougar standing over him on a trail #NorthBend. @kingcosoPIO says a second biker was also hurt. Now they are warning hikers to stay away from the Tolt Reservoir/Hancock road area. Working to get more precise location. @KIRO7Seattle
— DeborahHorne (@DeborahKIRO7) May 19, 2018
The cougar had been standing over the body of the victim when authorities arrived, KIRO reported.
The Washington Department of Fish and Game was tracking the animal down, which reportedly ran into the woods following the attack.
Update: Fish and Wildlife has euthanized the cougar that is believed to be responsible for killing one man and attacking another earlier today.
— King County Sheriff's Office PIO (@kingcosoPIO) May 19, 2018
Police later confirmed that the cougar was found and “euthanized.”
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/19/cougar-attack-in-washington-kills-1-biker-injures-another.html
It’s better to have a gun than a granola bar in places like that.
You were in the cougars home you were just fast food just not fast enough.
I told y’all to leave them older gals alone. They’re dangerous!!!!!
I read elsewhere that the cougar in this particular attack was only 100 lbs. Not that big, but still quite deadly.
The good news is that you’re more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than by a cougar. They rarely attack people. This was the first person killed by a cougar in Washington State in 90 years.
Still, you never know. No one should ever go into the wilderness without a gun. I would never shoot an animal unless I was attacked or needed food, but if a cougar or a bear is running at me, I gotta do what I gotta do.