The older brother was killed in Saturday’s attack, authorities stated — the first recorded deadly human-mountain lion incident in California in 20 years.

According to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, the mountain lion was euthanized close to the scene inside a number of hours.

Officials had not publicly recognized the brothers as of Sunday night, however stated the 18-year-old underwent a number of surgical procedures and would most likely make a full restoration. His household “is grateful for the prayers and condolences from the community [but] wishes for privacy in order to process this tragic event,” the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department stated in a information launch Sunday.

The state wildlife division on Sunday night confirmed that DNA from the scene of the attack matched the mountain lion that was euthanized. It was a 90-pound animal in wholesome situation, the division stated.

While it’s commonplace for mountain lions to roam across the similar trails people use, they have a tendency to keep away from individuals, stated Winston Vickers, a wildlife analysis veterinarian on the University of California at Davis.

Because assaults are so uncommon, it is onerous to pinpoint threat elements, however analysis has discovered that assaults and ensuing demise are extra possible if a toddler is current or if people are shifting erratically, he stated.

“There’s kind of a little bit of everything when you look at the statistics,” Vickers stated.

On Saturday round 1 p.m., the youthful brother referred to as 911 to report the attack, the sheriff’s division stated. The brothers had been antler shed searching in the realm.

When police and paramedics arrived, they discovered {the teenager}, who suffered “traumatic injuries to his face,” in response to the sheriff’s division, and commenced to supply support. They additionally began a seek for the 21-year-old brother.

After recognizing him round 1:45 p.m., deputies fired their weapons to scare the animal off and clear the realm to present support, however the 21-year-old was pronounced useless on the scene, in response to the sheriff’s division.

Saturday’s incident is the first recorded deadly mountain lion attack in opposition to a human since January 2004, in response to information from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In the 2004 incident, a 35-year-old man was killed in the Whiting Ranch Regional Park in Orange County. Since then, there have been 12 nonfatal mountain lion assaults verified by the state wildlife division. The final recorded attack was in September 2022.

The newest attack is one in all 22 whole verified incidents since March 1986 — 4 of them, together with Saturday’s, had been deadly, the state wildlife division information reveals.

Mountain lions are a specifically protected species below California regulation. The animals are “typically solitary and elusive,” the wildlife division stated.

While the company opinions a whole lot of sightings yearly, assaults on people by mountain lions are uncommon. An individual is 1,000 occasions extra more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion, in response to the division.

People spending time outside ought to keep conscious whereas on trails and be as ready as they are often, Vickers stated. He stated bear spray or waving a strolling stick might be efficient to defend oneself.

“It is easy to become fearful but the odds are so much greater that other kinds of harm might occur,” Vickers stated. “People don’t quit swimming in the ocean because there’s an occasional shark attack.”