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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The mountain lion killed by a Colorado runner–The defense was only a few months old, according to the animal's necropsy report.
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According to the necropsy conducted by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife veterinarians, the mountain lion that attacked Travis Kauffman on February 4 in Fort Collins was a 4- to 5-month-old male, NBC News reported.
The big cat weighed 24 kilos, according to the report. However, veterinarians noted that the animal had been recovered and probably weighed between 35 and 40 pounds when it was alive.
Although the term "kitten" is used to describe the mountain lion in the report, the word could simply mean an immature lion, reported USA Today.
There is reason to believe that the attacking kitten and his siblings may have been without a mother, said Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Jason Clay.
"Mountain lions are solitary animals that only congregate to reproduce," said Clay. "We had no signs of an adult woman's presence near the scene that day or in the following days, which is one of the reasons we think these kittens have become orphans. "
Kauffman, 31, said he was running at Horsetooth Mountain Park when he heard something behind him, according to a previous Cox Media Group report. He turned to investigate and was attacked by the lion. The mountain lion managed to bite his face and wrists before Kauffman could break free.
Kauffman choked the animal with his bare hands. He then went to safety and was treated in a nearby hospital.
"The findings of the autopsy corroborated the description of the events given by the victim," says the autopsy report. "The cause of death was determined to be multifactorial, including blunt trauma and strangulation."
Wildlife officials said that even though the lion was young, Kauffman had made every effort to defend himself, according to USA Today.
© 2019 Cox Media Group.
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