Brothers attacked by cougar in Northern California, 1 killed

The family of a 21-year-old man killed in a mountain lion attack in Northern California last weekend is remembering him as a “kind and gentle soul.”

Taylen Brooks and his brother Wyatt, 18, were looking for deer antlers on the forest floor in El Dorado County when a mountain lion attacked them. The brothers tried to fight it off, and at some point, Wyatt fled to find cell service and call 911.

When deputies arrived, Taylen was dead.

Officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found the mountain lion in a tree about 100 yards away from the attack site, where it was trapped and killed. Wyatt was taken to the hospital, where he’s still recovering from his injuries.

“[Taylen] truly enjoyed fishing and was an extremely talented guitar player,” the Brooks family said in a statement . “He was a very kind and gentle soul and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”

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Wildlife officials are still trying to figure out what prompted the attack. Josh Roseman with the California Mountain Lion Foundation said it was the first fatal mountain lion attack in 20 years.

“So this is just something that is almost unimaginably rare, and the circumstances are very surprising,” he said. “It’s really hard to know what might have triggered this.”

Roseman said the mountain lion, which was a juvenile male, may have been especially hungry, ill, or perhaps just separated from his mother.

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