Colorado Parks and Wildlife euthanized a young mountain lion that swatted an 11-year-old girl in the face Wednesday night as she checked on her chickens in a chicken coop southeast of Buena Vista.

When the child opened the coop’s door, the mountain lion — which was inside the wooden henhouse — swatted her in the face, leaving a small puncture wound that sent the girl to the Chafee County Hospital.

The mountain lion was euthanized and sent to an animal health lab in Fort Collins where it was identified as a young, 30-pound female.

“This was a small mountain lion probably just looking for an easy meal in the chicken coop,” said Sean Shepherd in a statement. “The victim likely surprised the lion. It probably felt threatened and it swatted at her as she entered.”

Shepard, an area wildlife manager based in Salida, said this was likely a defensive swat, but CPW had to euthanize the animal after its contact with the girl to determine if there were any health risks such as rabies.

Recently, another person was injured by a mountain lion while soaking in a hot tub near Buena Vista. The mountain lion approached the tub and swatted the man in the head leaving four minor scratches, according to CPW.

“Both of these incidents are highly unusual,” Shepherd said. “I do not believe there is a pattern here. These were unfortunate coincidences. Nothing more.”

Before these two incidents in Chaffee County, there had not been a mountain lion attack on a human in Colorado since Feb. 27, 2022, CPW said. This is the 25th known attack of a mountain lion causing injury to a human in Colorado since 1990. Three other attacks in Colorado since 1990  resulted in death.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers precautions for avoiding or managing potential mountain lion encounters.

CPW suggests making lots of noise while outside during dawn and dusk, installing outside lighting, supervising children while outside, keeping pets under control and storing livestock in sheds or barns overnight.

They also share that non-native plants can attract wildlife and vegetation offers hiding places for mountain lions.

To learn more about living with mountain lions in Colorado, visit the CPW website.