California Euthanizes Mountain Lion Following Attack at Summer Camp

California’s struggles with mountain lion conflicts continue. On June 14, a mountain lion attack took place at a summer camp in Trinity County, which is in the mountainous northwestern portion of the state.

The attack involved a camp counselor but took place a day before kids arrived at the camp.According to the Mercury News, the counselor was setting up the property and encountered the lion beneath a tent platform. The lion scratched the counselor’s leg, then fled. The counselor suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Later, the owner of the summer camp searched for the mountain lion—and says he was charged by one. He shot and killed it, but DNA testing by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) showed that it was not the same lion that attacked the counselor.

CDFW officials continued searching the area, which is located in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and captured another lion last weekend. “DNA analysis confirming the captured lion was the one responsible for the attack,” wrote a CDFW official in a Facebook post. “The lion was euthanized.”

The agency did not release information about the lion’s age, weight, or health. Mountain lion attacks are rare, but they do occur. California, in particular, has seen a number of startling mountain lion attacks in recent years, including a fatal attack thatkilled a 21-year-old shed hunter in El Dorado County last year.

The fatal lion attack drew attention to California’s unusual wildlife management practices; following a public ballot initiative, the state banned mountain lion hunting in 1990. California is one of the only states with established mountain lion populations that does not allow hunting for the species. The state has struggled with lion attacks on people, pets, and livestock.

Following last year’s attack, a state legislatorput forward a billthat would have started a pilot program to study the effects of allowing houndsmen to tree—then free—mountain lions in El Dorado County as a hazing method. However, the bill was severely watered down with amendments and eventually died in committee.

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