5 cyclists attacked by cougar on Washington state trail
Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A group of five cyclists were attacked by a cougar on a bike trail in Washington state Saturday afternoon, leaving one woman hospitalized.
Just before 1 p.m., officers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) responded to a report of the attack on a trail northeast of Fall City, Washington in King County.
When they arrived, the officers reportedly removed one cougar. However, witnesses reported there may have been a second cougar in the area. WDFW sent out a hound handler, but they were unable to locate it.
Sgt. Carlo Pace with the Fish and Wildlife Police told KIRO 7 the woman who was hospitalized will be alright.
“And I hope that she will recover. She will be fine. I am hearing that it is not life-threatening,” he said.
According to WDFW, cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. They say in the last 100 years, there have been two fatal cougar attacks and 20 other encounters where humans have been injured in Washington state.
They also urge people that if they ever do encounter a cougar to not run away, keep their eye on them, act big, make noise and fight back if you are being attacked.