New details have emerged about the deadly attack on a California mountain lion over the weekend that affected two brothers who were hunting in El Dorado County. The local sheriff’s office released an official from the victims’ family on Monday. He tells step by step what happened during the attack and paints the portrait of two close brothers capable of giving their lives for each other.
Although the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office released the ages of the victims when the attack was first announced Saturday, the family included their names. Taylen Brooks, 21, was killed by the cougar, while his younger brother Wyatt Brooks, 18. , was seriously injured but is expected to make a full recovery. The family says the boys grew up in the county, where they hunted and fished together every day.
“These two young men, as close as two brothers may be, lived a life full of energy enjoying the outdoors,” the circle of relatives wrote. “A brother is a friend who comes from nature. These two brothers were motivated by nature.
It was this walk that took the brothers to the hills near Kelcey on Saturday to search for lost forests. The family explains that since it’s also the opening day of young turkey season, the Brooks brothers decided not to bring firearms. Only Wyatt brought a small backpack to carry the hangars.
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Taylen and Wyatt were walking down a dirt road around 1 p. m. When they saw the puma for the first time. When the big cat entered the path and approached them, the brothers “did what they had learned” and tried to fight him, raising him. With my hands in the air and screaming. Wyatt even threw his backpack at the cougar, but instead of backing away, he charged, biting Wyatt’s face and throwing him to the ground.
Taylen came to his brother’s aid. He punched the cougar with his fists while Wyatt wrestled with him and eventually caught up with the lion.
“The lion began scratching Wyatt’s abdomen, causing him to lose control,” the family explains. At that moment, the lion let go of Wyatt, got up, and charged at Taylen, biting Taylen in the throat and bringing him to the ground. “.
Wyatt, whose face was badly lacerated, grabbed the cougar and hit it as hard as he could, but the cat wouldn’t let go of his brother. Unable to get cell service, Wyatt ran to his vehicle and called 911. When he returned to the scene where the attack had taken place, Taylen and the lion were gone. Wyatt then drove to meet paramedics and was transported to a hospital in Placerville, where he underwent reconstructive surgery on his face and neck (he is still recovering in the hospital Monday).
Meanwhile, EDCSO agents searched the scene of the attack and discovered that the mountain lion was crouching near Taylen’s body. They didn’t miss shooting the lion and potentially hitting Taylen, the officials fired a cautionary shot and the lion fled. When officials approached Taylen to administer first aid, they discovered that he was already dead.
Later that afternoon, wildlife officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tracked the lion with the help of a trapper. They then apprehended the lion just a hundred yards from where Taylen discovered and killed the cougar.
The family describes Taylen as an obsessive fisherman who liked to be outdoors and a talented guitarist. They say plans are being prepared for a memorial service.
“We are all devastated by the tragic loss of Taylen, but we are grateful that Wyatt is still with us and are aware that the end results may have been even worse,” the family wrote. “[Taylen] is very kind and affable soul and everyone who knew him will miss him very much. “
Since then, the family has established a Brooks Brothers Support Fund through the El Dorado Community Foundation. (They clarified that this is the only valid source of donations, and the EDCSO warned over the weekend that several unauthorized GoFundMe accounts had been created in the wake of Taylen’s death. )
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CDFW announced in a press release Sunday that DNA had shown that the lion sent was the same one that attacked the two brothers. According to agency records, there have only been three other fatal mountain lion attacks in the state since records began in 1986. A further 19 non-fatal attacks were recorded in this same period, 8 of which (42 percent) occurred in the last decade.
California is home to between 3,200 and 4,500 mountain lions, and the species has special protections in the state, which has not held a regulated cougar hunt since 1972. However, after last weekend’s tragedy, some Californians are speaking out, saying it’s time for the state to reconsider how it manages its mountain lion population.
Dac Collins is the editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life. It covers conservation issues affecting North American fish and helps tell the latest stories about hunters and fishermen searching for those vital species.
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