“A brother is a good friend given by nature. These two brothers have been pushed by nature”
Taylen (left) and Wyatt Brooks at house in California; Taylen was killed by the mountain lion after he fought it off Wyatt.
New particulars have emerged in regards to the deadly California mountain lion assault that came about over the weekend and concerned two brothers who have been shed looking in El Dorado County. The native sheriff’s workplace launched an official statement from the household of the victims on Monday. It offers a blow-by-blow account what occurred in the course of the assault and paints an image of two shut brothers who have been keen to put down their lives for each other.
Though the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Workplace had launched the ages of the victims when the assault was first introduced on Saturday, the household’s assertion included their names. Taylen Brooks, 21, was killed by the mountain lion, whereas his youthful brother Wyatt Brooks, 18, was badly wounded however is predicted to make a full restoration. The household says the boys grew up within the county, the place they hunted and fished collectively daily they may.
“These two younger males being as shut as any two brothers might be, lived a full energetic life having fun with the outside,” the household writes. “A brother is a good friend given by nature. These two brothers have been pushed by nature.”
That drive is what took the brothers into the hills close to Kelcey on Saturday to hunt for shed antlers. The household explains that as a result of it was additionally the opening day of youth turkey season, the Brooks brothers selected to not carry any firearms. Wyatt solely introduced a small backpack for carrying sheds.
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Taylen and Wyatt have been strolling down a dust street round 1 p.m. once they first noticed the mountain lion. When the massive cat walked onto the street and approached them, the brothers “did what that they had all the time realized” and tried to haze it, elevating their palms within the air and yelling. Wyatt even threw his backpack on the cougar, however as a substitute of retreating, it charged, biting Wyatt’s face and knocking him into the grime.
Taylen instantly got here to his brother’s help. He beat on the mountain lion along with his fists as Wyatt wrestled with it and finally received on prime of the lion.
“The lion started clawing at Wyatt’s midsection inflicting Wyatt to lose his grip,” the household explains. “At that time, the lion launched Wyatt, received up and charged Taylen, biting Taylen within the throat and taking Taylen to the bottom.”
Wyatt, whose face was severely lacerated, grabbed on the cougar and whacked it as onerous as he might, however the cat wouldn’t launch his brother. Unable to get cell service, Wyatt ran again to their car and known as 911. By the point he made it again to the place the assault had occurred, each Taylen and the lion have been gone. Wyatt then drove to fulfill paramedics and was transported to a hospital in Placerville, the place he underwent reconstructive surgical procedure for his face and neck. (He was nonetheless recuperating within the hospital as of Monday.)
In the meantime, EDCSO deputies searched the location of the assault and located the mountain lion, which was crouching close to Taylen’s physique. Unwilling to shoot the lion and doubtlessly strike Taylen, the officers fired a warning shot and the lion ran away. When the officers approached Taylen to manage first help, they found he was already useless.
Later that afternoon, wildlife officers with the California Division of Fish and Wildlife tracked the lion with the assistance of a trapper. Then they treed the lion simply 100 yards from the place Taylen was discovered and killed the mountain lion.
The household describes Taylen as an obsessed fisherman who liked being outdoor and a gifted guitar participant. They are saying plans for a memorial service are within the works.
“We’re all devastated by the tragic lack of Taylen but grateful Wyatt remains to be with us and are effectively conscious the result might have been even worse,” the household writes. “[Taylen] was a really type and mild soul and can deeply missed by all who knew him.”
The household has since established a Brooks Brothers Support Fund by means of the El Dorado Group Basis. (They’ve clarified that that is the one reputable supply for donations, and EDCSO warned over the weekend that a number of unauthorized GoFundMe accounts had been established within the wake of Taylen’s loss of life.)
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CDFW introduced in a press release on Sunday that DNA confirmed the lion they dispatched was the identical one which attacked the 2 brothers. Based on the agency’s records, solely three different deadly mountain lion assaults have occurred within the state since file maintaining started in 1986. There have been one other 19 non-fatal assaults recorded in that point, with eight of these (or 42 % of them) occurring within the final decade.
California is house to an estimated 3,200 to 4,500 mountain lions, and the species receives particular protections within the state, which hasn’t held a regulated mountain lion hunt since 1972. After the tragedy that occurred final weekend, nonetheless, some Californians are talking up, saying that it’s time for the state to rethink the way it manages its cougar inhabitants.
