FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A trail runner in Colorado fought for his life without any weapons when he was attacked by an 80-pound mountain lion Monday.
According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the mountain lion attacked an unnamed runner in Horsetooth Mountain Park just west of Fort Collins.
The victim heard something behind him when he was running on the trail and was attacked when he turned around to investigate. The mountain lion managed to bite his face and wrist before the runner was able to break free.
After subduing the mountain lion, he was able to hike to safety and later receive medical treatment at a nearby hospital.
The runner suffocated the animal with his bare hands.
The CPW believes that the young male was hunting and his instincts were triggered.
"Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion's hunting instincts were triggered by the runner. This could have had a very different outcome," Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in the statement.
The body of the mountain lion was found a few feet from the trail by the CPW. The lion has been taken to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife animal health lab for a necropsy.
The last mountain lion attack in Colorado was reported in June 2016 in Pitkin County.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife also provided tips in the statement if a person encounters a mountain lion: