A Colorado man reportedly killed a mountain lion with a shovel several days ago – and it may have been justified, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The situation unfolded on September 26, with wildlife officials responding to a report that an aggressive mountain lion had been killed at a campground west of Cañon City. When officials arrived, the dead mountain lion was found laying across the hood of a man’s Jeep.

According to the man involved in the killing, he was sitting outside of his recreational vehicle with his dog on the previous night when the mountain lion, described as a 95-pound female, brazenly approached the them. As the lion moved closer, the man’s husky started to growl and bark, eventually engaging with the lion at about 10 feet.

At that point, the man grabbed a shovel and struck the lion in the head, killing it.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, preliminary findings indicate that the man did indeed fear for his life and was acting in self-defense given the lion’s unusual and “extremely aggressive” behavior. Self-defense killings of wild animals in Colorado is often justified in the eyes of the law provided evidence supports that human life was threatened.

While this situation was indeed a close-up encounter between a human and a mountain lion, officials have noted that it will not be counted as an attack as the man didn’t suffer injury nor come in contact with the lion.

Investigators noted that the mountain lion also had an injury on its front right paw and scratches on its back, with the animal sent off to a CPW animal health lab for further analysis. If the animal was dealing with an injury that prevented it from hunting as it normally would, this could explain why it was so bold in approaching the man and his dog. Wild animals can become more aggressive when injured or sick.

Officials stressed that mountain lion encounters and attacks are quite rare. Since 1990, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has recorded 25 mountain lion attacks on humans – less than one a year on average. And again, this encounter won’t be counted as an attack.

Additional details about the status of the dog were not released. Presumably, it survived the encounter.

Here’s a list of tips related to mountain lion safety that was provided by Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

• Make lots of noise if you come and go during the times mountain lions are most active: dusk to dawn.
• Install outside lighting. Light areas where you walk so you could see a lion if one were present.
• Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors. Make sure children are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one.
• Landscape or remove vegetation to eliminate hiding places for lions. Make it difficult for lions to approach unseen.
• Planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer often prefer to eat encourages wildlife to come onto your property. Predators follow prey. Never feed any wildlife.
• Keep your pet under control. Roaming pets are easy prey and can attract lions. Bring pets in at night. If you leave your pet outside, keep it in a kennel with a secure top. Don’t feed pets outside; this can attract raccoons and other animals that are eaten by lions. Store all garbage securely.
• Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close doors to all outbuildings since inquisitive lions may go inside for a look.

The investigation into this recent encounter is still underway.