A cougar attacked a group of five cyclists on a trail in Washington on Saturday afternoon, sending a woman to the hospital, officials said.
The bikers were on a trail northeast of Fall City, located about 25 miles east of Seattle, when they were attacked around 12:50 p.m. local time, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said. Officers with the department said they “removed one subadult cougar on arrival at the scene.” Based on eyewitness testimony, officers said they believe there may be a second cougar, but it has not yet been located.
Officials did not provide identifying information for the woman who was hospitalized, but they said she was in stable condition. They did not say if the other four bikers were injured in the attack.
Cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare, the National Park Service said.
Since 1924, state authorities have recorded around two dozen cougar-human encounters that resulted in a documented injury, including a deadly attack in 2018, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.