SLO County dirtbike rider thought a mountain lion attacked him. Here’s what it actually was
Update: The Tribune spoke with the victim of the attack who recalled the terrifying experience and maintained his belief that it was a mountain lion.
A reported mountain lion attack in Arroyo Grande turned out to be not quite so dramatic when wildlife officers determined a feline that jumped from a tree onto a dirtbike rider was not in fact a cougar.
It was a domestic house cat.
On Wednesday, a 19-year-old dirtbike rider reported being attacked by what he thought was a mountain lion that leapt out of a tree as he rode by on James Way.
In an email, the father of the victim told The Tribune his son suffered a minor concussion from the impact of flying off his dirtbike, and that his helmet visor was torn off.
Patrick Foy, a captain with Fish and Wildlife’s law enforcement division, said the department received a report of a suspected mountain lion that launched itself from the tree and scratched a person’s leg.
In a timeline report of the event, Foy said that the victim declined any medical treatment.
Wildlife officers investigated the incident and sent DNA samples of the victim’s clothing and helmet to the department’s Wildlife Forensic Laboratory in Sacramento for genetic testing, according to the report.
Foy said lab technicians started analysis on Sunday.
By the next morning, lab results came back not with evidence of a cougar, but domestic cat DNA instead.
“Mountain lion DNA was not detected on any of the samples,” Foy said.
Mountain lion attacks are rare
The ultimate outcome makes sense given that a person is 1,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion, according to the Fish and Wildlife website.
Only 24 mountain lion attacks on humans have been reported since 1984. The majority of incidents were nonfatal, although in four cases in El Dorado, San Diego and Orange counties, victims died.
No cases have been reported in San Luis Obispo County, however an attack in Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara occurred in 1992.
Other recent wild animal attacks on humans that have made recent U.S. headlines include:
A coyote that bit a child on June 28 at the San Francisco Botanical Garden.
A 21-year-old man in El Dorado County who died March 23 after being attacked by a mountain lion.
A 9-year-old South Dakota boy whose body was found after being attacked by feral dogs on May 18.
California’s first-ever documented, fatal black bear attack on a human last November.
Fish and Wildlife recommends people always stay aware of their surroundings and travel in the wilderness with a companion.
If you encounter a cougar, try to appear larger and more aggressive and never bend or crouch down.
To report encounters or attacks, call the Fish and Wildlife 24-hour dispatch center at 916-445-0045.
