A man camping by himself alongside a Yuba River tributary in Northern California was attacked by a mountain lion while he was inside his sleeping bag.
The bizarre attack, which lasted nearly two minutes, occurred Sunday at about 1 a.m.
The Department of Fish and Game, in a news release, stated that the unidentified 63-year-old man was bitten and clawed repeatedly through his sleeping bag and clothes.
After the assault the cougar remained within sight of the man for several seconds before disappearing into the darkness.
The man was able to drive himself to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for scratches and puncture wounds.
The DFG confirmed the attack after analyzing the man's clothing and sleeping bag. An attempt to track the mountain lion with dogs was unsuccessful, but trackers did find remains of a domestic cat that had sustained injuries consistent with a cougar attack.
This brings to 15 the number of confirmed mountain lion attacks on people in California since 1980, according to DFG records.
-- Cougar image is generic
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