Mountain Lion Attacks Five Bikers on Washington Trail

A woman is recovering from injuries after a mountain lion attacked a group of bikers on a Washington trail. Image by Creativex

At least one cougar attacked a group of five mountain bikers, injuring one, on a Washington trail earlier this month.

According to CNN, the attack occurred Saturday, February 18 in a wilderness area along Tokul Creek, about 5 miles north of Snoqualmie. The cyclists managed to pin down the cougar with a bike, while a second cat fled.

King County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “One biker [reportedly a 60-year-old female] received either claw or bite injuries from one of the animals during this incident. The injured woman was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.”

KCSO deputies, wildlife agents, and medical personnel responded to their 911 call.

Washington State Fish and Wildlife police spokesperson Becky Elder said an officer shot the cougar with a firearm.

“Fish and Wildlife personnel removed one subadult cougar at the scene. It is presumed to be older than six months; however, an accurate age will be determined by officials once tooth data is taken from the cougar,” Elder said.

A tracker brought in a hound in an effort to locate the second cougar that fled back into the forest, but the animal has not yet been located.

“The public’s safety is our priority. Generally during a human-wildlife incident we lethally remove the animal involved,” Elder said.

She explained that cougar attacks in the state are extremely rare.