On May 15, a woman from Idaho named Cecelia McAfee was hiking on Mount Baldy in California with her dog. Suddenly, a mountain lion attacked and dragged away her dog. This happened about five miles from the trailhead.
Cecelia heard her dog yelping and ran towards the sound, thinking her dog might have scared a deer or an elk. But when she got there, she saw a mountain lion dragging her dog down a hill. She called for her dog, Indy, but couldn’t find her. Cecelia and her boyfriend hoped the lion would let the dog go, but they couldn’t see any sign of either the mountain lion or Indy.
Cecelia reported the incident to the authorities and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP). FWP’s Information Manager, Morgan Jacobsen, said mountain lion attacks are rare because these animals usually avoid humans and are active at night. However, this attack happened in the afternoon.
Jacobsen explained that the remote and forested trail is a perfect habitat for mountain lions. To avoid such attacks, he advises hikers to travel in groups, make noise to scare the animals away, and keep their dogs on a leash.