Verified Mountain Lion-Human Attacks

The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as an incident resulting in direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person. An attack is verified only when a physician, law enforcement officer or CDFW personnel determine the injuries were caused by a mountain lion. Incidents reported as attacks that do not fit the criteria of verifiable attacks on humans are not included in the list below.

Date Type Attack Location County Victim Sex Victim Age
March 1986 Nonfatal Caspers Wilderness Park Orange Female 5 yrs.
Oct. 1986 Nonfatal Caspers Wilderness Park Orange Male 6 yrs.
March 1992 Nonfatal Gaviota State Park Santa Barbara Male 9 yrs.
Sept. 1993 Nonfatal Cuyamaca State Park San Diego Female 10 yrs.
Apr. 1994 Fatal Auburn State Recreation Area El Dorado Female 40 yrs.
Aug. 1994 Nonfatal Mendocino County (remote) Mendocino Male 48 yrs.
Nonfatal Female 48 yrs.
Dec. 1994 Fatal Cuyamaca State Park San Diego Female 56 yrs.
Mar. 1995 Nonfatal Mt. Lowe (San Gabriel Mtns.) Los Angeles Male 27 yrs.
Jan. 2004 Fatal Whiting Ranch Regional Park
Orange
Male 35 yrs.
Jan. 2004 Nonfatal Whiting Ranch Regional Park Orange Female 30 yrs.
June 2004 Nonfatal Sequoia National Forest Tulare Female 28 yrs.
Jan. 2007 Nonfatal Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Humboldt Male 70 yrs.
Jul. 2012 Nonfatal Confluence of Shady Creek and Yuba River Nevada Male 63 yrs.
Sept. 2014 Nonfatal Cupertino Santa Clara Male 6 yrs.
May 2019 Nonfatal Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve San Diego Male 4 yrs.
January 2020 Nonfatal Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park Orange Male 3 yrs.
February 2020 Nonfatal Rancho San Antonio County Park Santa Clara Female 6 yrs.
June 2020 Nonfatal Blue Sky Ecological Reserve San Diego Male 4 yrs.
August 2021 Nonfatal Calabasas (Santa Monica Mtns.)
Los Angeles Male 5 yrs.
May 2022 Nonfatal Big Bar (Trinity River) Trinity Female  24 yrs.
Sept. 2022
Nonfatal
Pico Canyon Park
Los Angeles Male  7 yrs.
February  2023 Nonfatal Half Moon Bay San Mateo Male  5 yrs.
Mar. 2024 Nonfatal El Dorado County (Remote) El Dorado Male 18 yrs
Mar. 2024 Fatal El Dorado County (Remote) El Dorado Male 21 yrs
Sept. 2024 Nonfatal Malibu Creek State Park Los Angeles Male 5 yrs

Note: According to historical reports, four fatal incidents involving six victims occurred around the turn of the previous century.

Updated: September 2024

Wildlife Health Lab
1701 Nimbus Road Suite D, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
(916) 358-2790 | WILAB@wildlife.ca.gov