Colorado
Mountain lion that swatted 11-year-old girl’s cheek killed in Colorado
Colorado’s wildlife officials said a mountain lion swatted an 11-year-old girl when she went to check the family’s chickens in their hen house Wednesday
BUENA VISTA, Colo. — In Colorado’s mountains, an 11-year-old girl went to check on the family’s chickens in their wooden hen house Wednesday only to find a mountain lion that swatted at her face, leaving a small puncture wound on her cheek, according to wildlife officials.
The girl was treated and released from the hospital, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers arrived on scene to find the predator still in the wire mesh coop — where they killed it.
This marks the 25th time a mountain lion attacked and injured a human in Colorado since 1990. Three other attacks over the same period resulted in human deaths.
In March, a mountain lion clawed a man in the head while he soaked in a hot tub with his wife at a rental home. He escaped with superficial injuries. Officials believe these don’t represent a pattern, merely unfortunate coincidences.
The latest attack appeared to be defensive, according to officials. The roughly 30-pound (13.6-kilogram) female mountain lion didn’t appear to be stalking the young girl because it didn’t mount a pursuit.
“This was a small mountain lion probably just looking for an easy meal in the chicken coop,” said Sean Shepherd, Area Wildlife Manager, in a statement. “The victim likely surprised the lion. It probably felt threatened and it swatted at her as she entered.”
While attacks are rare, Shepherd continued, they can’t take any chances after an attack. The body was sent to a lab to ensure it wasn’t diseased with rabies, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or another infection.
The wildlife agency encourages residents to limit hiding places for mountain lions around homes, install outdoor lighting, and keep pets and children inside at dusk.
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Colorado
Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft
Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter said Thursday he plans to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
“That’s definitely for sure,” Hunter, 21, told reporters when asked if he intended to declare.
A favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Hunter plays both cornerback and receiver for the Buffaloes. He is projected by many to be selected first overall next April.
When asked about playing both offense and defense as a professional, Hunter acknowledged the rarity of doing both, saying, “It’s never been done.”
He added: “I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don’t want their top pick to go down too early and I know they’re going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.”
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In 10 games for Colorado this season, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns — all career bests. Defensively, Hunter has three interceptions, eight passes defended and 23 tackles.
Hunter was a highly recruited player coming out of high school. A consensus five-star prospect, he originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State — becoming the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU.
Hunter played for one season at Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, then transferred to Colorado before the 2023 season when Sanders took the head coaching job there.
Last season, Hunter averaged close to 115 plays per game, participating in offense, defense and special teams.
Sanders’s son Shedeur, who plays quarterback for Colorado, is projected to be among the first signal-callers selected in next year’s draft. Another player who could be a Heisman finalist, Sanders said Thursday that Hunter is the more deserving of the two to win the award.
“If it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven’t been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I would rather him win.”
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