Cougar attack near Cortez, Colorado
Jim Davies
on rec.backcountry, and since I have a detailed newpaper article on this
one at hand, here goes:
Susan Groves, 25, of Cortez, Colorado was attacked Tuesday 12/13 while
taking water samples in Grass Canyon, a tributary of the Mancos River, about
nine miles south of Mesa Verde National Park. She was in the water wearing
waders when she heard noises on the bank above her, looked up and made
eye contact. She stayed in the water thinking the cougar was just checking
her out and would leave, and when it didn't she began screaming and throwing
ice chunks at it while backing away. The lion followed her as she crossed
under a bridge, at which point she stumbled and fell. The lion then
attacked her, biting her in the head. She somehow got the lion off of
her (she doesn't remember how) and next remembers finding herself on top
of the lion on the bank with her arm rammed in its mouth.. She took a
pair of forceps out of her fishing jacket and started jabbing the lion
in the eye with them, at which point the lion struggled out from under
her and fled. Groves suffered five puncture wounds in her head and
cuts and scratches on her arms and legs, and was treated and released
from a hospital in Cortez that night.
Groves is 5-9, 155 pounds, and is working as a water-quality specialist
monitoring stream flows for the Animas-La Plata water project.
She had never seen a mountain lion before Tuesday.
The cougar was tracked and killed by animal control officers with dogs.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife said that it appeared to be an old
female, weighing about 60 pounds (half normal weight), with worn teeth
that may have prevented it from catching food.
Source: Rocky Mountain News, 12/15/94
David Paul
> jr...@craycos.com (Jim Davies) writes:
>>
>>Susan Groves, 25, of Cortez, Colorado was attacked Tuesday 12/13 while
>>taking water samples in Grass Canyon, a tributary of the Mancos River, about
>>nine miles south of Mesa Verde National Park. She was in the water wearing
(snip)
>If this is a correct relation of the event, this is the first time I have heard
>of a mountain lion taking on a very large adult.
You're new to this group, aren't you?
>This is not good news for peopletrying to protect the Mountain Lion.
But it's good news for people who may be attacked by lions. She fought it
off, and she didn't even have a knife or gun. Next time I go into the
backcountry, I''m going to pack a pair of forceps!
>Why now your chance of getting attacked are nearly equal to your chance of
>be hit by a meteor.
No, If you live in Chicago (or whatever) you're chances are greater of being
hit by a meteor. If you live in lion country, you're more likely to be
attacked (of course, you're more likely to never see a cat in your lifetime).
BTW, It never ceases to amaze me that people are so concerned about Lions,
Wolves and Bears. They're cute, furry, have pretty eyes and are romantic.
That doesn't make them any more valuable than some of the species of fish that
are also endangered. I've never seen a thread protesting damming a river that
could harm razorback suckers. And what about bats? (steps down off soap-box)
just had to get that off my chest.
Robert S. Posey 575-6627 msgid 3EVT
If this is a correct relation of the event, this is the first time I have heard of
a mountain lion taking on a very large adult. This is not good news for people
trying to protect the Mountain Lion. Why now your chance of getting attacked are
if...@nmsua.nmsu.edu
the nature. Still I'm glad the woman fought back and survived and don't
want to meet a lion under similar circumstances. However, during my four
years in Alaska, I spent a lot of time outdoors and I only saw two
grizzlies, one was just a brown dot in the valley and another ran across a
road. But every time I went outside, I knew that a bear encounter was a
possibility (actually though, moose are much more dangerous and much more
likely to be encountered) and even if I didn't feel safer knowing bears
were there, I was at least a mentally prepared (prepared to be eaten, that
is) and I'm glad I got to see a couple of grizzlies in nature and not in a
zoo.
Perhaps we need to have our awareness raised about lions are well.
Thing is, many people in the lower 48 seem to think nature is a Disney theme
park filled with, as someone said, cute, furry creatures because there
really are almost no truly wild places left in the lower 48 and knowledge
from the Discovery Channel and PBS has replaced knowledge gained by one's
experience and the experience of other outdoorspersons.
It might interest some lion enthusiasts to know that the first winter I was
in Alaska (1989 or 1990, I think), Alaska had its first reported mountain
lion (crossed the BC border near Ketchikan). It was also Alaska's last
reported mountain lion since it was promptly gunned down in the dark by
someone who said they assumed it was a wolf. Not an editorial, just a
interesting story. Perhaps mountain lions are doing well and are expanding
their range!!! The idea that they are being chased out of the lower 48
doesn't seem likely given the increased number of cougar sightings.
Richard Ottolini
Would that is because they are generally smaller and
are easier victims?
Or is it due to female-odors? There is folklore about
bears and menstrating humans.
David Paul
The last two were. The one before that was a group, and the cat attacked a
man even though there were two women standing there too. I can think of a
couple other cases where men were attacked.
I'd say it was coincidence.
Darren Marcy
: a mountain lion taking on a very large adult. This is not good news for people
: trying to protect the Mountain Lion. Why now your chance of getting attacked are
: nearly equal to your chance of be hit by a meteor.
I think I understand your point, but it's important for others to know
that there are dozens of documented cases of mountain lions attacking and
killing full grown adult men and women.
D_
mar...@peanut.enmu.edu
Jim Davies
>
>I think I understand your point, but it's important for others to know
>that there are dozens of documented cases of mountain lions attacking and
>killing full grown adult men and women.
In Colorado there is exactly one (1) recorded case.
California has had two people killed by mountain lions recently, but
they were reported to be the first in that state in about eighty (80) years.
So there have been at least four. You need to come up with at least 20 more
to substantiate your claim of "dozens of documented cases".
Documentation, please....
Brian Liedtke
Then you had better pay more attention to what has been going on. Several
*large* (5'9" 155 lbs.?) adults have been attacked by pumas in recent
years. As far as the odds between being attacked and being hit by a meteor.
I think you are a little off there. But then, there was the asteroid that
approached to 65,000 miles (less than 1/3 the Earth-Moon distance) last
week. Hmmm, maybe it can happen.
Brian L.
Robert S. Posey 575-6627 msgid 3EVT
>*large* (5'9" 155 lbs.?) adults have been attacked by pumas in recent
>years. As far as the odds between being attacked and being hit by a meteor.
>I think you are a little off there. But then, there was the asteroid that
>approached to 65,000 miles (less than 1/3 the Earth-Moon distance) last
>week. Hmmm, maybe it can happen.
>
>Brian L.
I actually doubt that anyone has ever been hit by a meteor, so its true that your
chance of attacked by anything that has ever or ever will attack a human is greater
than being hit by a meteor. However your chance of being attacked is still
vanishingly small.
My surprise was because the lady in Col. didn't do anything stupid.
The other cases of people being attacked, the jogger in Cal. and
one other, all had at least some people claiming that the person invovled either
was all ready injured or did something stupid. This most recent case is the first
where the human invovled did not do anything other than trespass on Lion's land. I
guess even in this case you could claim she shouldn't have fallen down, but there
is no way of knowing what the lion would have done if she hadn't.
WILLIAM NETTLES
po...@skopen.dseg.ti.com wrote:
p> I actually doubt that anyone has ever been hit by a meteor,
There have been a couple of recorded instances. One was a Monk in the 11th
Century.
What I'm concerned about is how my large Dog will react around a Mountain
Lion and what the Mountain Lion will do. I haven't seen any mountain lions,
yet. (Just tracks). But my friends who go on the same trails (in the San
Gabriels north of Los Angeles) have seen them twice in the past year. That
means about 1 in 20 trips, or 5% chance of being within 30 feet of a
Mountian Lion. The Lion always moved away.
I go out "alone" with my friendly Flat Coated Retreiver (100 lbs). He never
fights unless attacked so I don't think he'd go after a mountain lion. But I
worry.
Anyone have any experience? Or read anything?
Thanks
WILLIAM...@lamg.com
About suffering they were never wrong the Old Masters. . .the dogs went on
with their doggy lives.W.H. Auden
Robert O. Dahl
lie...@wapiti.ftc.scs.ag.gov (Brian Liedtke) wrote:
> Robert S. Posey 575-6627 msgid 3EVT (po...@skopen.dseg.ti.com) wrote:
> : In article 2...@tnt.craycos.com, jr...@craycos.com (Jim Davies) writes:
> : >Since it's becoming traditional to report on wild-animal attacks here
> : >on rec.backcountry, and since I have a detailed newpaper article on this
> : >one at hand, here goes:
> : >
> : >Susan Groves, 25, of Cortez, Colorado was attacked Tuesday 12/13 while
> : >taking water samples in Grass Canyon, a tributary of the Mancos
River, about
> : >nine miles south of Mesa Verde National Park. <snip>
Hey, what's life without a little risk? If you want complete safety, stay
in your room, and even that might not be safe. In fact your changes of
having some psycho break in and kill you are probably greater than being
attacked outdoors by a cougar.
Robert
--
Robert O. Dahl <ot...@indirect.com>
Brian Liedtke
: >*large* (5'9" 155 lbs.?) adults have been attacked by pumas in recent
: >years. As far as the odds between being attacked and being hit by a meteor.
: >I think you are a little off there. But then, there was the asteroid that
: >approached to 65,000 miles (less than 1/3 the Earth-Moon distance) last
: >week. Hmmm, maybe it can happen.
: >
: >Brian L.
: Meteors do hit the Earth all the time, prob. every minute,some make
Since I'm waiting for a compile to finish. a few nits ;) If a meteor
hits the Earth it becomes a meteorite. Yes, the atmosphere is constantly
bombarded by small meteors, usually very small (sand grain size). Most
burn up in the atmosphere.
: it to the ground. I actually doubt that anyone has ever been hit
: by a meteor, so its true that your chance of attacked by anything
I believe there was one documented case of someone being struck by a
meteor. (In Ohio or Indiana near the end of the 19th or beginning of
the 20th Century).
: that has ever or ever will attack a human is greater than being hit
: by a meteor. However your chance of being attacked is still
: vanishingly small. My surprise was because the lady in Col. didn't
'Vanishingly' small. Perhaps I define this differently. Yes, the odds
are small that you will be attacked by a cougar. However, with
the 'rash' of attacks recently, and the increase of sightings here
in the front range of the Rockies I wouldn't call it 'vanishingly'
small. And as people continue to expand into their habitat these odds
are going to increase.
: do anything stupid. The other cases of people being attacked, the
: jogger in Cal. and one other, all had at least some people claiming
: that the person invovled either was all ready injured or did something
: stupid. This most recent case is the first where the human invovled
Should be 'already'. Hmmm, I had not heard that there were people around
to witness the attacks. If they were out jogging, how were they injured.
: did not do anything other than trespass on Lion's land. I guess even
: in this case you could claim she shouldn't have fallen down, but there
: is no way of knowing what the lion would have done if she hadn't.
Uhhh, yeah, right.
Brian L.
MADANIKNAR
Wolves and Bears. They're cute, furry, have pretty eyes and are romantic.
"That doesn't make them any more valuable than some of the species of fish
that
are also endangered. I've never seen a thread protesting damming a river
that
could harm razorback suckers. And what about bats? (steps down off
soap-box)
just had to get that off my chest."
hey, you're right. Bigger animals get more publicity (I guess that is
because they can kill poeple). Also, I guess, large predators tend to be
perched precariously atop the food web and so a great amount of concern
for their care errupts when they become an issue.
-mada
MADANIKNAR
-mada