Mountain lion choked to death by runner in Colorado was orphaned cub, officials say

Cougar died after suffering 'blunt trauma and strangulation', animal autopsy reveals

A mountain lion strangled by a Colorado man after it attacked him was a young cub, likely orphaned and weighing no more than 18 kg, officials said on Friday.

Travis Kauffman made headlines last month after he said he had survived a rare mountain lion attack on 4 February and had suffocated the big cat by stepping on its throat.

A necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, showed the animal was a cougar, most likely male and aged only four to five months old.

Officials said it was likely orphaned but not starving.

The results confirm Mr Kauffman’s account of the attack, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a statement.

“The cause of death was determined to be ... blunt trauma and strangulation,” the agency said.

Mr Kauffman was jogging at the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, around 105km northwest of Denver, when he heard pine needles rustling.

The 32-year-old said he turned around to find the cougar behind him.

”I was bummed out to see a mountain lion,” he said, during a press conference.

The environmental consultant said he raised his arms and yelled, but the cougar pounced, clamping its jaws on his right wrist, and slashing his face and neck with its claws.

Mr Kauffman said he hit the animal with a rock and stabbed it with sticks during the three-minute long attack.

Ultimately he was able to get on top of the cat and place his foot on its throat until it stopped thrashing.

The jogger suffered multiple lacerations but no permanent injuries.

A spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife said mountain lions normally remain with their mothers for 12 to 18 months before living on their own.

Two cubs, believed to be the cougar’s siblings, have now been trapped and taken to an animal rehabilitation facility to give them a better chance for survival when they are released back into the wild, the spokesperson added.

Additional reporting by agencies