A mountain lion attack left one person dead and another injured in a remote area of Northern California on Saturday, officials said.
The two brothers, 18 and 21, were antler shed hunting in Georgetown, California, when the mountain lion attacked the pair, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the mountain lion involved in the attack was euthanized on Saturday.
The department said Sunday that its Wildlife Forensics Laboratory matched DNA from the mountain lion, which was found near Georgetown, to DNA found at the scene of the attack.
The younger brother called 911 at 1:13 p.m. to report being separated from his older brother during the attack, officials said.
Deputies began searching the area, and at around 1:46 p.m., they found the mountain lion crouched next to the older brother. Shots were fired to scare off the animal.
The 21-year-old was dead by the time deputies reached him. The 18-year-old suffered “traumatic injuries” to his face and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims.
Georgetown is about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento.
Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has reported 13 attacks in the state since 2004, with only one being fatal.
