‘I hope that she will recover’: 5 cyclists attacked by cougar in King County

KING COUNTY, Wash. — A group of five cyclists were attacked by a cougar in King County around 1 p.m. on Saturday.

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, officers got reports of injuries on a trail northeast of Falls City.

Five cyclists were attacked and a woman is in the hospital for her injuries.

Fish and Wildlife removed a cougar at the scene and a hound handler has been sent to find a possible second cougar involved.

WDFD is asking people to avoid the area.

First responders told KIRO 7 the 60-year-old woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries to her face, neck, and jaw. According to Sgt. Carlo Pace with Fish and Wildlife Police, the woman should be OK.

“And I hope that she will recover. She will be fine. I am hearing that it is not life-threatening,” Sgt. Pace said.

Sgt. Pace said the other cyclists were also able to pin the cougar down with a mountain bike and hold it off until officers arrived.

He said the cougar was shot and killed by an officer.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife said cougar attacks are rare in our area, but they urge people if they ever do encounter a cougar to not run away, keep their eye on them, act big, make noise and if you are being attacked, fight back. He believes what the other cyclists did saved the woman’s life.

“But if it wasn’t for the response of her friends, it could’ve been much worse because these animals are lethal,” Sgt. Pace said.

The search for the second cougar isn’t entirely over. Sgt. Pace said officers will patrol the area and they ask the public to avoid the area until they are confident the animal is long gone.

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