The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim of a mountain lion attack on the Crosier Mountain Trail near Glen Haven, east of Estes Park, on New Year’s Day as Kristen Marie Kovatch, 46, of Fort Collins.
According to a statement released by her brother, Jeffrey Kovatch, Kovatch was an ultramarathon runner who found joy and purpose in caring for animals.
Kovatch had worked as a medical assistant at the UCHealth Heart and Vascular Clinic in Fort Collins from 2011 until 2021, according to a statement released by UCHealth on Monday.
A forensic autopsy performed on Monday at the Larimer County Forensic Sciences Center determined that Kovatch’s injuries were consistent with a mountain lion attack. The autopsy report ruled the death an accident, and the cause was listed as “asphyxia due to external neck compression.”
A male and female lion from a family group found in the area were euthanized following the attack. A necropsy report identified human DNA on the paws of the male lion, according to Kara Van Hoose, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson. Tests performed as part of the necropsy on the two subadult cats, believed to be about a year old, ruled out rabies and other health problems.
During a press conference on Monday, Van Hoose reported that CPW has ended its search for a third mountain lion believed to be part of a family group that had been seen in the area of the fatal attack after no fresh tracks or scents were detected in more than 72 hours.
The Crosier Mountain Trail reopened to the public on Monday, but CPW has cautioned the public to remain vigilant.
Mountain lion signage with education messages will remain. Permanent signage warning of lion activity and how to handle conflicts has been in place on the trail for years.
The Crosier Mountain Trail in the Roosevelt National Forest is known to be a habitat for mountain lions. Several area residents and hikers have reported recent sightings, close encounters, and attacks by mountain lions in recent weeks.
On Oct. 28, a mountain lion killed a dog that was on a hike with its owner in the 2000 block of McGraw Ranch Road in Estes Park. The following day, a mountain lion approached a hiker on West Creek Road off of Devil’s Gulch Road in rural Larimer County and took her dog. In both of these incidents, the dogs were off-leash.
On Nov. 11, a trail runner was approached by a mountain lion on a Crosier Mountain trail. The runner hazed the mountain lion by throwing objects and hitting it with a tree branch. On Nov. 30, two hikers encountered two mountain lions near Crosier Mountain. They also hazed the lions by yelling and throwing rocks.
On Dec. 23, a lion attacked a dog off County Road 43 in Glen Haven. The man shot the adult male lion, and the incident was reported to CPW.
John Stover, a resident on Miller Fork Road in Glen Haven, posted a trail cam video of a mountain lion on his property, approximately four miles from the Crosier Mountain Rainbow Trail Head, two days before the attack. Stover, who gave permission to the Estes Valley Voice to share the video, warned, “Watch your pets!”
Typically, mountain lions have a home range of approximately six miles, according to CPW.
“Mountain lion activity in Larimer County is common. There are a lot of lions that live in this area. It’s pretty dense for this wildlife species,” Van Hoose said during Monday’s press conference.
“This is the time of year when we do take the majority of our mountain lion sightings and reports, because during wintertime, mountain lions follow their main prey source, which is deer and elk. So deer and elk will come down from higher elevations to lower elevations to spend their winters, and lower elevations, where just more people live, in Colorado, so mountain lions are more visible this time of year,” said Van Hoose.
Kovatch’s death is the fourth death from a mountain lion attack since 1991. According to CPW, there have been 28 mountain lion attacks in Colorado since 1990, which is home to approximately 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions.
“Timeliness is critical for tracking and responding to mountain lion conflicts,” said Jason Duetsch, CPW Area Wildlife Manager. “We encourage anyone to immediately report encounters with lions so CPW officers can have the most effective response.”
Mountain lions are considered to be “spot and stalk” predators. “Although lions are generally solitary, it is common or typical to see family groups of a mother and offspring living and hunting together,” said CPW Mammals Researcher Mat Alldredge. “Offspring will stay with their mother for about a year and a half while learning to hunt and become independent. They are generally dependent until 18 months old when they disperse in the spring from their mother’s home range.”
CPW can be contacted at either the Denver office (303-291-7227) or the Fort Collins office (970-472-4300). The public can also reach an on-call officer by calling the Colorado State Patrol at *CSP *277.
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