A woman suffered neck and face injuries when a group of cyclists east of Seattle fended off a rare cougar attack over the weekend, authorities said.
The injured cyclist has been identified by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife as an adult female, who is in stable condition.
The animal attacked a woman and a group of five cyclists near Fall City, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Seattle, shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday, the department said in a news release. It is said that he was killed.
“They struggled with this animal,” Fish and Wildlife Service official Carlo Pace told NBC affiliate KING-TV in Seattle. “They did fight back. Without these people, the woman who was attacked would have been in a much worse condition.”
The group was riding near a stream that Pace described as the animal's “natural place” to chase prey.
“The cyclists just happened to be in that area,” Pace added. “I was in the wrong place, I was in the wrong time.”
He said the animals usually stay away from humans. The bureau reports that there have been 22 cougar attacks in Washington state over the past 100 years, two of which were fatal.
The department said officers “removed” the 75-pound cougar from the scene. The announcement did not provide details about the animal or its death, but said the animal's remains were being sent to a local university lab for testing.
The department plans to determine the cougar's age, physical condition and whether it has any illnesses, the statement said.
Police say witnesses near the scene saw a second cougar running through the area. Officers did not find the animal during the search.
