A jogger in Colorado managed to fend off and kill a mountain lion after the animal started biting and clawing at his face. The man, who hasn’t been identified, was jogging on a trail at the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space on Monday, officials said. The mountain lion attacked him from behind, lacerating his face, back, legs and arms. “The runner did everything he could to save his life... In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back, just as this gentleman did,” said Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast regional manager. It’s not clear how the runner managed to kill the lion. His injuries are serious but not life-threatening. The good news is mountain lion attacks are very rare: Only 16 known attacks have happened in Colorado since 1990. “It is unfortunate that the lion’s hunting instincts were triggered by the runner,” said Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for the CPW in a statement. “This could have had a very different outcome.”
