Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Mature mountain lions can weigh upwards of 150 pounds and few people are a match for the predators. Photo Courtesy Dorsey Pictures In David Baron’s 2004 environmental classic, The Beast in the Garden , the science author explains why large predators like mountain lions are increasingly frequenting suburban communities—specifically his hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Since the 1980s, mountain lion attacks—though relatively rare—have increased significantly.
Baron’s story begins with the 1991 death of an eighteen- year-old jogger in the Rocky Mountain foothills above Denver. The man’s eviscerated body was found in the known hunting grounds of a 100-pound male mountain lion, presumed to be the killer. As human development has encroached on traditional mountain lion habitat, the big cats and people are coming in ever-closer contact.
Because of that proximity, Baron proposes a chilling explanation for the increase in mountain lion attacks: That the cats are learning to hunt humans. According to a 2023 Colorado Outdoors report, there have been 25 known mountain lion attacks in the state since 1990—the last fatal attack occurring in 1997 when a 10- year-old boy was killed in Rocky Mountain National Park. Park Ranger Andy Peterson is life-flighted after surviving a mountain lion attack in Colorado.
Photo courtesy Andy Peterson MORE FOR YOU Apple iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro Release Date: New Report Reveals Extraordinary St.