A man who survived a California mountain lion attack that killed his brother is expected to recover

GEORGETOWN, California — An 18-year-old Northern California man who survived a mountain lion attack that killed his older brother is expected to recover, authorities said Sunday.

The 21-year-old’s death Saturday in a remote area northeast of Sacramento was the state’s first fatal encounter with a cougar in two decades.

The younger man called the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office and reported that he and his brother had been attacked while hunting for antlers near Georgetown, the office said in a statement Saturday.

Officers arrived around 1:30 p.m. and found the younger man with facial injuries. A few minutes later, they saw a cowering mountain lion lying on the ground next to the older brother, according to the statement.

The officers fired their guns and chased the big cat away. The older brother died on the spot.

The surviving brother “has undergone multiple surgeries for his injuries and is expected to make a full recovery,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday. “The family is grateful for the prayers and condolences from the community, but wishes for privacy to process this tragic event.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said its rangers found and euthanized the cougar.

“The mountain lion was sent to the CDFW forensic laboratory to obtain DNA information and the lion’s general health,” the department said on X.

Georgetown is a small, historic city, about 80 kilometers northeast of the capital.

Cougars have attacked people before, but the last fatal encounter occurred in 2004 in Orange County, according to a verified list maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Department.