In the remote wilderness of Northern California, near the historic town of Georgetown, a tale of survival and loss unfolded over the weekend. An 18-year-old man, subjected to the terrifying ordeal of a mountain lion attack, managed to survive against all odds, although tragically, his older brother did not share the same fate. The news was released on Sunday with the confirmation from authorities that despite severe injuries, the younger survivor was expected to pull through.
Sacramento, renowned for its city charms, was upstaged by the chilling news from the backcountry, just 80 kilometers to the northeast. On Saturday, the county’s peace was shattered by a mountain lion attack, the first fatal encounter with the elusive apex predator the state had witnessed in two decades.
The survivor placed a desperate call to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, his voice painting a grisly scene of an attack while the brothers had been hunting for shed antlers near Georgetown. The deputies who reached the location around 1:30 p.m. were confronted with the nightmarish sight of a severely injured youth, his features marred by the beast. A few heart-stopping moments later, they spotted the mountain lion, its body lowered in a hunter’s crouch, near the lifeless body of the older brother.
In a bid to defend themselves and protect the injured man, the deputies released a volley of bullets, which successfully scared off the mountain lion. The older brother, however, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now, days later, the surviving young man is proving himself to be a warrior in the heart of adversity. He has endured numerous surgeries and is on the road to recovery, as mentioned by the sheriff’s office. The bereaved family, in the midst of their grief, issued a plea for privacy as they grappled with the tragic incident, even as they expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community.
In the aftermath of the incident, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tracked down the mountain lion. Following the standard procedure in such cases, they euthanized the animal and sent it to the forensics lab of the CDFW. Here, a gamut of tests will be performed to ascertain the cougar’s general health and to obtain DNA samples for record-keeping.
While mountain lion attacks on humans are not unheard of in these parts, the brutal finality of death has not been a consequence for more than a decade and a half. The last recorded fatal encounter with a mountain lion in the state was in 2004, in Orange County, according to verified records maintained by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.