Travis Kauffman, the Colorado man who killed a mountain lion with his bare hands, and Annie Bierbouer embrace at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office on Feb. 14, 2019. "I've been out running and I feel like I am a little bit more jittery than I had been," Kauffman said. The preliminary findings from the 28-year-old's autopsy indicate Whiteley died from a wild animal attack, possibly by a mountain lion, according to authorities. Lever the blade back and forth with the ribs as a fulcrum and you slash everything. Travis Kauffman, 31, said he was running on a scenic trail in the Fort Collins area on the afternoon of Feb. 4, when he heard a rustling of pine needles. Kauffman managed to kill the animal by jamming his foot into the lion's neck, suffocating it, then hiked out to a nearby hospital. Later that day, hounds trapped a mountain lion in a tree, then shot and killed it. Hood County Sheriff's Office says Lipan man killed by mountain lion; Texas Parks and Wildlife says 'no evidence' of attack A 28-year-old man found dead in a wooded area in rural Texas was killed by a wild animal, possibly a mountain lion, according to local county officials. Jan. 2, 2020, 6:24 AM PST / Updated Jan. 2, 2020, 11:03 AM PST. After killing the mountain lion, Kauffman had to run another few miles to reach a parking lot, and he worried another mountain lion could come along. He was finally able to maneuver one of his legs up, "and then I stepped on its neck and then was eventually able to suffocate it. So he reached for a large rock to hit it on its head. 28-year-old man mauled to death in possible mountain lion attack, Hood County sheriff says The sheriffs office is working with Texas Game Wardens and a Fannin County Game Warden Randolph McGee responded to the call and Kauffman saw the mountain lion roughly 10 feet away. Kauffman said he's about 5 foot, 10 inches, weighing between 150 to 155 pounds, and guessed the young lion was around 50 pounds. Jogger recounts killing mountain lion with his bare hands. Authorities warned residents in the area to be mindful of their surroundings and keep children and animals inside at night, which is when mountain lions primarily hunt. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. State wildlife officials disagree. The sheriff and county medical examiner both blamed a mountain lion but state investigators say there is no evidence of that or any other animal. ET): An earlier version of a photo caption in this article misspelled the name of the woman pictured with Travis Kauffman. An environmental consultant who moved from Arkansas to Colorado about five years ago to pursue outdoor sports such as running and mountain biking, Kauffman said he would be running with a buddy more often going forward. The Hood county sheriffs office said on Saturday that deputies found Christopher Allen Whiteleys body on Thursday, a day after he went missing near Lipan, located 50 miles (80km) south-west of Fort Worth. He also suffered contusions and puncture wounds to his legs and neck that didn't require stitches. He received more than 20 stitches on his face and some on his wrist. This is how he did that. That didn't work either. Update: @TPWDnews says they do NOT believe a 28yo man found dead in Lipan, Texas was killed by a mountain lion. CORRECTION (Feb. 18, 2019, 1:55 p.m. The body of Christopher Allen Whiteley was found in a wooded area of Lipan, about 65 miles west of Fort Worth, on December 3. In the time it took for Kauffman to hike down and officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to visit the scene of the attack, the dead mountain lion had already been partially eaten. In the past 100 years, there are fewer than 30 confirmed deaths due to mountain lion attacks nationwide," the agency wrote. The recently-released necropsy EDITOR'S NOTE: Previous news releases had listed the mountain lion that attacked Kauffman as being in the 80-100 pound range. Kauffman was attacked by a mountain lion in Horsetooth Mountain Park, broke free and suffocated the animal on Feb. 4, 2019. IE 11 is not supported. He turned his head to see a small mountain lion about 10 feet away from him, Kauffman recounted at a press conference Thursday. Kauffman said he was reluctant to come forward publicly at first because he felt uncomfortable getting attention for a "situation of happenstance" and he "would never be able to live up to the reputation.". Arizona's wildlife agency said Wednesday that it killed three mountain lions who had fed on A Texas medical examiner said Christopher Allen Whiteley was killed by a wild animal, possibly a mountain lion. Investigators could not determine the animal's sex, but estimated its weight to be 35 to 40 pounds. He said that as he tried to throw the lion off of him, they both tumbled down a slope on a side of the trail. If youre working with a long blade and you stab a mountain lion in the left side of the chest or on the side behind the shoulder blade, youre at least in the area of the heart. Doha Madani is a breaking news reporter for NBC News. Residents warned to be watchful after sheriffs office says 28-year-old died from wild animal attack, possibly a mountain lion, Last modified on Sun 6 Dec 2020 20.18 EST. A 28-year-old man has died in Texas after being attacked by a wild animal, thought to be a mountain lion, local authorities said. A 28-year-old man found dead in a wooded area in rural Texas was killed by a wild animal, possibly a mountain lion, according to local county officials. ", "It was just pure adrenaline," Kauffman said. A 28-year-old Texas man might have been killed by a mountain lion, said a preliminary report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. On February 4, Travis Kauffman was jogging in Horsetooth Mountain Park in Colorado when he was attacked by a mountain lion. A department spokeswoman, Megan Radke, said on Sunday that it was not connecting the sighting in Rowlett to the mans death. Once he was able to get on top of the animal and pin its back legs, Kauffman said he tried to use his free hand to grab sticks to stab the lion's neck. Its a horrible process but it works really well. The mountain lion kept approaching, and eventually, lunged at him. The sheriffs office said the Tarrant county medical examiners office conducted an autopsy and issued a preliminary finding that an animal attacked and killed Whiteley. He threw his hands up in the air and started yelling. A necropsy on the mountain lion showed no signs of rabies. Mountain lions are rare in north Texas but experts have been dispatched to track the animal believed to have killed a man near Lipan. A man running along a trail in Colorado who was attacked by a young mountain lion this week managed to choke it to death and escape, state wildlife officials said. This is a list of known or suspected fatal cougar attacks that occurred in North America by decade in chronological order.The cougar is also commonly known as mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, catamount, or panther.The sub-population in Florida is known as the Florida panther.. A total of 125 attacks, 27 of which are fatal, have been documented in North America in the past 100 years. While fighting to defend his life, the man managed to kill the lion. A North Texas man who had gone missing was found dead and officials believe he was likely killed in a mountain lion attack. "From there, it was just a wrestling match," he said. Christopher Whiteley, 28, was last seen on Christopher Allen Whiteley was last seen in the early hours of Wednesday morning near Lipan, a city of less than 500 people located 50 An autopsy says a North Texas man died from an attack by a wild animal but there's a debate over whether it was a mountain lion. Hunt County Game Warden Gary Miller Jr. on Monday confirmed the kill stating the man called the department to make a report so local wildlife biologists could get more information off the animal. Travis Kauffman, the Colorado runner who killed a mountain lion has come forward to describe his terrifying fight to survive the animal ambushed him A 160-pound mountain lion was shot by a Blue Ridge, Texas man hunting deer over the weekend near Celeste, Texas. "There was a certain point where I just kind of imagined being stuck on this hillside and just having a cat gnaw at me, which is a pretty creepy way to go.". "The story is bigger than my puny form," he said. She is Annie Bierbower, not Bierbouer. On Monday, a trail runner in Colorado was attacked by a mountain lion. Mountain lion baby boom: summer is roaring success as 13 kittens born near LA. The sheriff's office had said earlier that the autopsy's preliminary findings said Christopher Allen Whiteley died from a wild animal attack, possibly by a mountain lion. "I kind of really analyze all of the paw print tracks that I see now.". His immediate response was to put his hands up and scream in an attempt to scare off the lion, but the animal lunged at his face. "There was a certain point where I just kind of imagined being stuck on this hillside and just having a cat gnaw at me," the runner said. Sheriffs office deputies, Texas game wardens and a US department of agriculture trapper with expertise in tracking and removing mountain lions were trying to locate the animal. Annie Bierbower and Travis Kauffman embrace before a press conference in Colorado. Authorities investigating possible mountain lion death in Hood County. HOOD COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) A 28-year-old man who was reported missing in a rural area of North Texas was found dead from a possible mountain lion As Kauffman tried to protect his face, the lion latched onto his left wrist and began clawing at him. "Fatal mountain lion attacks on people are extremely rare. A Colorado man who fought off a mountain lion with his bare hands has come forward to describe what happened when the animal attacked him on a trail earlier this month. But those kept breaking. "The fear was definitely tangible then," he said. There are rarely confirmed sightings of mountain lions in north Texas but the states parks and wildlife department on Tuesday said its biologists had verified a sighting on private property in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett, which is more than 100 miles (160km) from where Whiteley was killed. By Elisha Fieldstadt. News. Pronouns: she/her. Hood Co says they're standing Travis Kauffman, 31, of Fort Collins received more than 20 facial stitches but suffered no broken bones or tendon damage from a mountain lion attack on Feb. 4, according to CPW. Another runner saw him after the attack and ran with him until the pair found a couple who helped take Kauffman to the hospital. Man Who Suffocated An Attacking Mountain Lion Describes Fight For His Life Travis Kauffman, 31, was halfway through his run in the foothills outside Fort Collins, Colo., when he The mountain lion that was killed, estimated to weigh about 200 pounds, was struck by Graford High School basketball player Xavier Harrison about