Suspected cougar attack on horse in Clackamas County (Photos)

Some type of life-threatening attack during the night in Clackamas County left a horse named Leah with severe injuries that cost her life. The vicious attack on Leah injured her so badly that her owner, Maddison Disselbrett, made the decision to euthanize her.

Disselbrett said, “She’s been my horse for the past 15 years.”

The barn’s owners, where Leah was stabled and attacked, saw a cougar nearby the barn after hearing a commotion. The assumption was made that a cougar attacked the horse.

No real investigation about the attack has been carried out by either the U.S. Department of Agriculture nor the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine if it was a cougar.

According to Mark Lytle, however, it most likely was not a cougar. He has spent years studying and investigating in Clackamas County for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Lytle gathers evidence, conducts owner interviews and examines animal remains in an effort to determine what kind of creature attacked and killed and animal.

It is estimated by authorities that only two out of 100 attacks can be attributed to cougars. While owners quickly assume a cougar attack occurred, Lytle says that’s usually unlikely. He did not investigate Leah’s death but believes that the attack was not from a cougar. More often than not, attacks are perpetrated by coyotes or dogs. Lytle says,

I have never seen a single case in 26 years where a cougar attacked a horse in Clackamas County.

He adds,

Animals do not survive cougar attacks. The cougars always attack the animal in the same way – in a specific puncture pattern to the neck.

The mystery of Leah’s death remains.

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Read about suspected [graphic] cougar attack at: Zombiehunters.org

Watch video report at Katu.com