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The victim of a New Year’s Day mountain lion attack on the Colorado Front Range has been identified as Kristen Marie Kovatch—a 46-year-old woman from Fort Collins.
Kovatch was hiking by herself on Crosier Mountain Trail in Larimer County when the attack occurred sometime in the morning. Two other unrelated hikers found her lying dead in the trail around noon the same day, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) press release, and threw rocks at a mountain lion still hanging around the victim to scare it away.
One of the attending hikers happened to be a physician, CPW public information officer Kara Van Hoose told MeatEater, but there was nothing that could be done for the victim, who reportedly had no pulse at the time. Her wounds were “pretty gruesome,” according to Van Hoose, especially in the neck and head areas.
The hikers reported the incident to 911 dispatchers, who sent CPW officers to the scene, along with a hound team. When the team arrived about two and a half hours later, an officer shot at a lion still loitering in the area—a male subadult—and it was subsequently tracked with the dogs and killed. The hound team also picked up another lion, a female, and euthanized her as well.
By the time the hounds returned to the incident site, it was between 8 and 10pm, and fully dark out. Still, the officers saw a third lion still hanging around the site. The team tried unsuccessfully to track it that night.
“We used dogs and all of that for the next several days and didn’t find any new tracks and no new scent. So we don’t know—it could be another subadult, it could be the mother; we think it’s part of the same family group, but we don’t know if it’s a parent or a sibling,” Van Hoose said. Officers suspect the lion has since fled from the area, but are still warning local hikers to be cautious and report lion sightings immediately.
CPW conducted necropsies on the two euthanized lions, both of which turned out to be around 12 months old. Human DNA was found on all four paws of the male, while none was detected on the female.
“I don’t think we’ll ever really know or be able to point to a concrete reason why it happened,” Van Hoose said. “The lion—the male subadult that the human DNA was found on—had a full stomach of deer, and was in good body condition. He didn’t test positive for rabies or any other neurological diseases, so I just don’t know if we’ll ever be able to definitively say why this happened.”
Mountain lion attacks on humans are relatively rare, though they typically involve hikers or bikers when they occur. The last known* fatal* attack in Colorado was in 1999, but there have been a total of 28 attacks since 1990. A proposition to ban lion hunting in the state failed in the 2024 election, and a hunting season is currently open in most of the state through March 31.
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22 Comments
The use of hound teams to track the mountain lions is an interesting approach, and I wonder about the effectiveness of this method in preventing future attacks.
The absence of rabies or other neurological diseases in the male lion suggests that the attack may have been a rare anomaly, but further research is needed to understand the underlying causes.
It’s possible that environmental factors, such as habitat fragmentation, may have contributed to the lion’s behavior.
The open hunting season for mountain lions in most of the state through March 31 raises questions about the effectiveness of this approach in managing lion populations and preventing attacks.
Kristen Marie Kovatch’s death is a tragic reminder of the risks associated with hiking in areas with wildlife, and I hope that her family finds some measure of closure.
I’m interested in learning more about the dynamics of mountain lion family groups and how this might have contributed to the attack on Kristen Kovatch.
The fact that the third lion was not found despite efforts to track it is concerning, and I hope that CPW continues to monitor the area and take necessary precautions to prevent future incidents.
The fact that the male subadult mountain lion had a full stomach of deer and was in good body condition raises questions about what motivated the attack on Kristen Marie Kovatch, as hunger doesn’t seem to have been a factor.
I think it’s also worth considering the role of human habituation in this incident, as the lions may have become too comfortable around people.
It’s alarming that there have been 28 mountain lion attacks in Colorado since 1990, and I wonder if the state’s hunting regulations are doing enough to prevent such incidents.
I’m grateful for the bravery of the hikers who found Kristen Kovatch and scared the lion away, potentially preventing further attacks.
I’m concerned about the impact of human activity on mountain lion habitats and behavior, and I think it’s essential to consider this in conservation efforts.
The fact that one of the hikers who found Kristen Kovatch was a physician highlights the importance of being prepared for emergencies while hiking, even with medical professionals present.
The fact that the last known fatal mountain lion attack in Colorado was in 1999 suggests that these incidents are rare, but still, hikers should be vigilant and take necessary precautions.
The presence of human DNA on all four paws of the male lion suggests a violent and intense attack, and I’m grateful that the hikers who found Kristen Kovatch were able to scare the lion away.
I’m curious about the proposition to ban lion hunting in Colorado that failed in the 2024 election, and how this might impact future conservation efforts.
The failure of this proposition is concerning, as it may lead to overhunting and destabilize the ecosystem.
I’m skeptical about the decision to euthanize the female lion, as it’s unclear whether she was involved in the attack or not.
The incident highlights the need for increased awareness and education about mountain lion behavior and safety precautions for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Perhaps the state could implement more comprehensive education programs or warning signs in areas with known lion activity.
The necropsies conducted on the two euthanized lions provide valuable insights into their behavior and health, but more research is needed to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The warning issued by CPW for local hikers to be cautious and report lion sightings immediately is a necessary precaution, given the presence of at least one other lion in the area.