The mountain lion who was killed by a Colorado runner in early February was a three- or four-month-old kitten, state wildlife officials have reportedly said.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife veterinarians studied the corpse of the animal in the aftermath of the highly publicized tussle and determined it probably weighed about 30 or 40 pounds at the time of the attack, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper.
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State wildlife officials reportedly said Travis Kaufman did the right thing by defending himself against the wild animal, which caused noticeable scars across the 30-year-old, 150-pound runner’s face before the man was able to fight it off with a rock and step on its throat to kill it.
The veterinarians who performed the necropsy on the mountain lion said the body had been partially eaten, likely by its siblings, who were later trapped by wildlife officials nearby and taken to a rehabilitation facility, the newspaper reported.