DFG News Archive

Rabies Test on Tulare County Mountain Lion is Negative; Further Tests Pending

A necropsy on the mountain lion that attacked a hiker in the Sequoia National Forest revealed the animal was a male, approximately 2 years old, and in poor physical condition. A rabies test was negative.

According to Dr. Pam Swift, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wildlife veterinarian who examined the mountain lion, the animal weighed 58 pounds -substantially less than the expected weight of 100 pounds for a 2-year-old male mountain lion. “My examination of the animal did not reveal any injuries, such as broken bones or abscesses, which might explain the animal’s emaciated condition,” said Dr. Swift.

The necropsy was performed at the DFG’s Wildlife Forensic Laboratory in Rancho Cordova. Wildlife Forensic Specialist Jim Banks also gathered samples from the animal that he will analyze for the presence of the victim’s DNA. According to Banks, the animal’s stomach was practically empty, except for a small bone from a rodent. Banks also found stab wounds in the right shoulder, consistent with witness reports that they stabbed the lion to thwart the attack.

Blood tests are now being conducted to screen the animal for a variety of diseases such as tularemia, plague, leptospirosis and brucellosis. Although the presence of any of those diseases could explain the animal’s poor condition, it will not explain why the animal exhibited such bizarre behavior, said DFG senior wildlife biologist Doug Updike.

Results of the blood tests are expected in seven to 10 days.