Cougar attack kills man, injures younger brother in California

A cougar, also known as the mountain lion, killed a 21-year-old man and injured his 18-year-old brother in the foothills of Northern California on Saturday.

The mountain lion attack came while the two brothers were hunting for shed antlers near Georgetown, a historic town of just over 2,000 people located about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, in El Dorado County, said the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

However, the two brothers could not be identified publicly yet.

The 18-year-old brother called the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office around 1:15pm to report the attack, saying that the lion attacked him and his elder brother.

According to the officials, deputies reached the spot around 1:30 pm to find the younger man with traumatic injuries to his face and started to administer aid.

The missing brother was found lying on the ground as the big cat crouched over him, added the officials.

However, deputies opened fire to scare off the mountain lion. When the lion ran away, deputies rushed to the older brother, but he was found dead.

Later, Wardens and Trappers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife visited the area and located the mountain lion.

The sheriff’s office said the mountain lion was euthanized.

Yet, the younger brother’s condition was not available immediately.

According to a verified list kept by the Fish and Wildlife Department, there have been nearly two dozen reported mountain lion attacks on humans since the mid-80s.