Authorities in Colorado ended a four-day search for additional mountain lions after a solo hiker was fatally attacked on the Crosier Mountain trail east of Rocky Mountain National Park, officials said Monday.
The search ended after wildlife officers shot and killed two mountain lions in the area, but they did not locate a third animal that had been spotted, officials said.
The victim was identified as Kristen Marie Kovatch, a 46-year-old woman from Fort Collins, about an hour’s drive from the attack site. Her family said she was an ultramarathon runner who died doing something she loved: hiking and enjoying the beauty of Colorado’s public lands.
The Larimer County Coroner’s Office said Kovatch died of asphyxia due to having her neck compressed. The coroner’s office said her injuries were “consistent with a mountain lion attack” and that the death was ruled an accident.
In a statement, Kovatch’s family said, “We are devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of our beloved Kristen,” adding that “Our family is struggling to comprehend this heartbreaking moment.”
Two hikers found Kovatch’s body on Jan. 1 around noon on a trail southeast of the community of Glen Haven, state officials said. Officials said a mountain lion was nearby and the hikers threw rocks to scare it away. One of the hikers was a physician, who attended to Kovatch but did not find a pulse.
Later that day, two mountain lions located in the area were shot and killed by wildlife officers, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said Monday. Van Hoose said a necropsy found one of the animals, a male, had human DNA on its four paws. She said the other lion killed did not have signs of human DNA.
Officials said the search for the third mountain lion spotted in the area stretched over four days, with no further sign of the animal. Hiking trails in the area were closed while the search was ongoing.
Mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas or catamounts, can weigh up to 130 pounds (60 kilograms) and grow to more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) long, according to the report. They primarily eat deer.
Colorado has an estimated 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions, which are classified as a big game species in the state and can be hunted.
The report also cited recent encounters east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Van Hoose said there were several such incidents in recent months, including cases in which mountain lions killed dogs being walked by their owners. A Glen Haven man running on the same trail in November said he encountered a mountain lion that rushed him aggressively, and that he fought it off with a stick.