Up to date: March 22, 2023 Printed: March 22, 2023

DENVER — A mountain lion approached a person and his spouse Saturday night time as they had been soaking in a scorching tub west of Nathrop, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers stated.

The 2 had been sitting of their trip rental’s tub round 8 p.m. when the person felt one thing seize his head, CPW spokesman Invoice Vogrin stated in a launch.

“He and his spouse started screaming and splashing water on the animal,” Vogrin stated.

The lady grabbed a flashlight and shined it on the lion, which started to again up, Vogrin stated. Because the couple continued to scream, the lion moved to the highest of a hill the place it continued to observe the couple, who then left the bathtub and went again into the home.

Inside, the couple cleaned the person’s wounds and referred to as state wildlife officers, who arrived and started trying to find the lion, Vogrin stated.

The person suffered 4 scratches to the highest of his head and close to his proper ear, and declined any extra medical help, Vogrin stated. State wildlife officers determined in opposition to monitoring the lion with canines due to the close by housing developments and scorching springs resort. As an alternative they set a lure to attempt to catch the predator.

“We predict it’s doubtless the mountain lion noticed the person’s head transfer within the darkness at ground-level however didn’t acknowledge the folks within the scorching tub,” Sean Shepherd, CPW space wildlife supervisor primarily based in Salida, stated. “The couple did the appropriate factor by making noise and shining a light-weight on the lion.”

“Though this sufferer had solely minor accidents, we take this incident significantly. We’ve got alerted neighbors and posted indicators warning of lion exercise,” Shepherd continued. “And we are going to proceed to trace the lion and lion exercise.”

Saturday’s report marks the primary time a lion has attacked an individual since Feb. 27, 2022, Vogrin stated, and it’s the twenty fourth reported lion assault on a human since 1990 that resulted in an harm.

Some mountain lions in Colorado have been extra energetic recently and encountered pets extra often, partly as a result of extra persons are shifting into their habitat.