Investigation Launched After Man Kills ‘Aggressive’ Mountain Lion That 'Confronted' Him and His Dog

Preliminary finding found that "the man was in fear of his life," but a Colorado Parks and Wildlife investigation remains open

<p>Chase Swift/Getty</p> A mountain lion in Colorado was killed by a man who used a shovel to defend himself and his dog as the big cat approached them at a local campground, according to authorities

Chase Swift/Getty

A mountain lion in Colorado was killed by a man who used a shovel to defend himself and his dog as the big cat approached them at a local campground, according to authorities

Authorities in Colorado say they're investigating after a man says he fought off an approaching mountain lion with only a shovel at a local campground.

The man claimed he “was sitting outside his recreational vehicle with his dog” at a campground west of Cañon City when the female mountain lion approached them, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.

The man said his husky growled and barked at the mountain lion, which appeared to weigh about 95 lbs., as it "began to approach," according to the agency.

The man then apparently “grabbed a shovel, which he used to strike the lion in the head, killing it.”

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CPW said it was informed of the attack the next morning on Thursday, Sept. 26.

"The CPW officer’s preliminary finding was that the man was in fear of his life and acted in self defense when confronted by a lion acting unusual and extremely aggressive," officials said, going on to note that "further inspection of the lion revealed it had an injury to its front right paw and scratches along its back."

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The mountain lion's body will be shipped to a CPW animal health lab for a necropsy.

"As this remains an open investigation, CPW will have no further comment on the incident," officials added.

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Officials went on to say that what happened "does not qualify as a mountain lion attack” because the man involved “suffered no injuries and was never touched by the lion.”

Just 25 mountain lion attacks on humans have occurred in Colorado since 1990, according to the agency. Three of the attacks were fatal, CBS affiliate KCNC-TV reported.

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