A mountain biker reported being attacked by a cougar that jumped on him from a tree as he rode past, leaving him with scratches on his leg. It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
The 19-year-old was traveling on James Way in Arroyo Grande, California, when the encounter occurred last Wednesday, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Wildlife officers investigated the incident and took some of the victim’s clothing and bicycle helmet to the Wildlife Forensics Lab in Sacramento for DNA testing, which began Sunday.
By Monday morning, lab technicians had correctly identified the feline.
“Lab results did not show evidence of a cougar, but rather domestic cat DNA,” The Tribune said.
“No cougar DNA was detected in any of the samples,” Patrick Foy, a captain with the California Fish and Wildlife enforcement division, told The Tribune.
Foy told The Tribune that the victim refused any medical treatment.
“Since 1984, there have been only 24 recorded mountain lion attacks on humans,” The Tribune reported. “Most incidents were nonfatal, although four cases in El Dorado, San Diego and Orange counties resulted in deaths. There have been no reported cases in San Luis Obispo County, though one attack occurred in Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara in 1992.”
Generic photo of a real cougar courtesy of the Pocatello Police Department.
