Mountain Lion Attacks Man, Grabs His Leg At Front Porch Of House

A 47-year-old man was attacked by a mountain lion at the front porch of his house in Montezuma County, Southwest Colorado, last Sunday. Colorado wildlife authorities said they are on the lookout for the animal.

The man, identified as Michael Warren, sustained multiple injuries to his lower right leg in the attack, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said in a news release Thursday.

Warren said he stepped outside his house at around 6:30 p.m. on Feb.27 when he heard a thud sound from his front porch, suspecting it to be his domestic cats fighting. As soon as Warren opened the door and placed his right leg in the opened door area, he felt something grab his leg. When Warren turned around to look, he saw the mountain lion running away.

The footage from the security cameras in the area later confirmed that the animal was a mountain lion. The officials said they have identified several wounds on Warren's leg that were indicative of injuries from claws.

Meanwhile, the CPW district wildlife manager, Matt Sturdevant, said they are investigating the incident and have not captured the mountain lion. "We are still looking into it and want to make sure we get the right offending lion. Any help from the surrounding area and the public would be helpful," Sturdevant said.

The officials believe that the mountain lion must have visited the area before as Warren's house cats went missing days before the incident. There was another report on Feb.18 regarding a mountain lion attacking domestic cats and chickens in the same area, The Sacramento Bee reported.

"Judging by the tracks we found and the footage we have along with the victim’s statement, we believe it is a young, sub-adult lion,” Sturdevant said. "We also believe it is the same lion that had been hanging out in the area for a bit," he added.

"Though mountain lion attacks are relatively rare, it is important to know how to avoid or manage potential encounters," the news release said, adding that the incident is the first reported mountain lion attack of a human in Colorado since March 11, 2020.

According to records, the incident also marked the 23rd known case of a mountain lion causing injury to a human in Colorado since 1990.