A trail runner killed a mountain lion after being attacked in a park in Colorado (HO)

Los Angeles (AFP) – A trail runner attacked by a mountain lion in a park in Colorado managed to fight off and kill the wild cat with his bare hands, park authorities said.

The jogger, who was not identified, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and was hospitalized after Monday’s attack, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) department said in a statement.

The man was running alone on Horseshoe Mountain when he “described hearing something behind him on the trail and was attacked by a mountain lion as he turned around to investigate,” CPW said.

“The lion lunged at the runner, biting his face and wrist,” it said. “He was able to fight and break free from the lion, killing the lion in self-defense.”

“He was able to suffocate the animal while defending himself from the attack,” it said.

CPW said it had recovered the body of a juvenile mountain lion where the attack occurred. According to the Coloradoan newspaper the young mountain lion weighed about 80 pounds (36 kilograms).

“The runner did everything he could to save his life,” said Mark Leslie, CPW Northeast Region manager. “In the event of a lion attack you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did.”

Ty Petersburg, CPW’s area wildlife manager, said mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado.

“It is unfortunate that the lion’s hunting instincts were triggered by the runner,” Petersburg said. “This could have had a very different outcome.”

According to the CPW, there have been fewer than 20 people killed in the United States by mountain lions in the past 100 years. There have been three deaths and 16 injuries in Colorado since 1990.

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