Family identifies brothers, 21 and 18, in fatal Northern California mountain lion attack

An El Dorado County family has identified the two men attacked by a mountain lion in Northern California over the weekend, one of whom died from his injuries in the state’s first fatal mountain lion attack in two decades.

In a statement forwarded through the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, the Brooks family of Mount Aukum identified the men as Taylen Brooks, 21, and Wyatt Brooks, 18.

Taylen Brooks died after the mountain lion mounted his attack Saturday afternoon along a rural road southeast of Georgetown. His brother, Wyatt, is still recovering from “traumatic” injuries he suffered in the attack, the Sheriff’s Office and family said in the release.

The Brooks family in a written statement said Taylen Robert Claude Brooks worked with his father, painting houses and cutting firewood. The family said the older brother loved being outdoors.

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

The younger brother Wyatt — an avid baseball player and an ardent bow-hunting enthusiast — has been training to become a firefighter since September at the Mt. Adams Fire Academy. His family said the young man aspires to work with Cal Fire, California’s wildland firefighting agency.

The family said the brothers had gone out Saturday in search of deer antler sheds — a pastime they did together frequently in the spring before the grass grew too tall to see the shed antlers. That day was also the start of junior turkey hunting season, so the brothers chose not take any firearms with them to avoid attention from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The attack was roughly 5 miles southeast of Georgetown off of Darling Ridge Road above the Kelsey area, 70 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento. The rolling but heavily forested landscape is ringed by large private properties on the western fringes of Eldorado National Forest.

The brothers were walking along Skid Road where they encountered the mountain lion.

The brothers tried to scare off the mountain lion, but the lion immediately charged at Wyatt, biting down on his face and taking Wyatt to the ground. Taylen yelled and beat on the 90-pound cougar as his younger brother was able to wrestle the lion to the ground with him on top of the lion.

At one point, the mountain lion released Wyatt and charged at Taylen and took him to the ground. Wyatt — with severe lacerations to his face — beat on and grabbed the big cat. After some time trying to get the mountain lion to release his older brother, Wyatt went to get help.

Deputies located the two brothers after the attack, and authorities pronounced Taylen Brooks dead at the scene. Law enforcement fired their weapons to scare off the cougar, which was found by game wardens and trappers and euthanized later that evening near the scene of the attack.

“These two young men being as close as any two brothers could be, lived a full energetic life enjoying the outdoors,” the family said in the statement. “A brother is a friend given by nature. These two brothers were driven by nature.”

The family statement also described the brothers, residents of the unincorporated Mount Aukum community in south El Dorado County, as avid hunters and anglers.

Mountain lion attacks in California very uncommon

Deadly mountain lion attacks are exceptionally rare. The mountain lion responsible for this attack — which was euthanized this weekend after state trappers found it treed — weighed roughly 90 pounds. It was male, officials said.

Adult male mountain lions usually weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Adult females weigh between 65 and 90, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Mountain lions tend to hunt alone at night and are typically scared of humans.

State wildlife officials’ list of verified mountain lion attacks on humans shows the last fatal attack in California happened January 2004 in Orange County.

Mountain lions have large ranges of up to 10 miles by 10 miles, and Saturday’s attack may have been from an animal that was still young and looking for its own territory, said Josh Rosenau, director of Policy and Advocacy for the non-profit Mountain Lion Foundation.

Some 46% of California’s topography is considered a suitable habitat for mountain lions, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation. The only non-habitable locations for the cat in the state are in the Central Valley and in most of California’s southeastern deserts.

The rural area of El Dorado County where the men were attacked is accessible by narrow roads, some of which are unpaved, cutting through the forest.

“No hunting” and “No trespassing signs” were posted throughout the area off Skid Road, which is dotted with homes and ranches situated off the roadways behind metal gates.

The large cats are typically more interested in avoiding human contact and typically seek deer as prey.

Throughout the area, herds of deer and flocks of turkeys can be seen, as well as cattle and horses grazing at various ranch properties.

On Saturday afternoon, more than a dozen deer could be seen grazing along Highway 193, a few miles from the site of the attack.

Including Saturday’s attack, there have been 22 documented mountain lion attacks involving 24 people in California since 1986, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Still in mourning, family says ‘outcome could have been even worse’

The last fatal attack in Northern California was nearly 30 years ago, in April 1994, when a 40-year-old woman was killed in the Auburn State Recreation Area in El Dorado County.

”When something like this happens, it’s obviously scary, but it’s still worth bearing in mind how rare this is and how much mountain lions try to avoid people when they can,” Rosenau said.

He said there are roughly 4,500 mountain lions in the state.

“We would like to express our sincere thanks for the outpouring of support and prayers from family, friends and the community,” the family said in the statement. “We are all devastated by the tragic loss of Taylen yet thankful Wyatt is still with us, and are well aware the outcome could have been even worse.”

The family also created a fundraiser through the El Dorado Community Foundation to raise money for Taylen’s funeral expenses and Wyatt’s recovery. Donations are tax deductible. Information can be found at bit.ly/BrooksBrothersSupportFund.

The Bee’s Jacqueline Pinedo and Sam Stanton contributed to this story.