Cody man fends off mountain lion attacking his dog

CODY (WNE) — A mountain lion attacked a man and his dog on the upper South Fork on Saturday, Sept. 19, according to a statement from Wyoming Game and Fish.

That evening, G&F personnel responded to a report of an aggressive mountain lion encounter along the upper portion of the South Fork Road. 

A Cody man reported that a mountain lion attacked his dog in heavy cover, right along the South Fork Road near the Deer Creek Trailhead, where he had pulled over and let his dog out briefly during an early-evening outing to photograph elk. 

When he heard his dog yelp, the man went into the cover to investigate and observed a small mountain lion on his dog. When he went to his dog’s aid, the mountain lion made contact with the man.

The man was treated for minor injuries at a local medical facility. The condition of the dog is unknown.

Based on the investigation, G&F said, this is most likely a case of a surprise encounter with a mountain lion that led to aggressive-defensive behavior by the mountain lion. 

Agency personnel responded that evening but could not locate the mountain lion, and a subsequent search of the area yielded no sign of the mountain lion.  The department will continue to monitor the area.