Colorado Woman Killed by Mountain Lion While Hiking on New Year’s Day

As many Coloradans celebrated the beginning of a new year, one woman unfortunately had a much less joyful experience as she encountered a mountain lion that would tragically take her life on a hike.

Mountain Lion Claims a Colorado Woman’s Life on January 1st

On Thursday, January 1st, a group of people were hiking in a secluded area in unincorporated Larimer County, which is the county that is home to Fort Collins, when a woman was attacked by a wild mountain lion.

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It’s unclear exactly when the attack took place, though it has been said to have occurred in the afternoon but the incident was reported by Colorado Parks and Wildlife the same day, around 4:43 p.m., and the woman was found to have lost her life.

How Common are Mountain Lion Attacks in Colorado?

Typically, incidents like this of mountain lions attacking humans are pretty rare in Colorado, but they do happen.

Since 1990, there have been 28 incidents of mountain lions attacking humans that have been reported, and the last instance of a mountain lion fatally attacking a human in Colorado was reported to have taken place in 1999.

What Happened to the Mountain Lion that Killed the Colorado Woman?

After the incident was reported to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the department scoped out the area and, after discovering a mountain lion specimen that was thought to have attacked the woman, the animal was captured and euthanized.

The specimen is set to be tested for human DNA to confirm that it was, in fact, the animal that took the woman’s life.

Read More: Mountain Lion Kills Dog During Evening Walk In Boulder

Check out the full story from Fox31 News here.