Mountain Lion Search Intensifies : Public safety: Officials close trials and roads until trackers find the big cat that attacked a cyclist this week.

Angeles National Forest officials closed Mt. Lowe’s trails and roads Friday as teams of trackers and dogs intensified their search for a mountain lion that attacked a 27-year-old bicyclist this week.

“We’re concerned it’s going to attack again because it has already attacked once--and that’s very rare,” said spokeswoman Dianne Cahir.

State Fish and Game wardens, along with U.S. Department of Agriculture trackers, began hunting the mountain lion Thursday in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena, where fresh tracks were found, said Patrick Moore of the Department of Fish and Game. An estimated 90 mountain lions live in the 693,000-acre forest.

Trackers are expected to continue their search this weekend, he said.

Meanwhile, the Forest Service has indefinitely closed the following trails south of the Mt. Wilson Toll Road: Castle Canyon Trail, Upper and Lower Sam Merrill Trail, Millard Falls Trail, Dawn Mine Trail, Upper and Lower Mt. Lowe Trail and Idlehour Trail.

On Monday in an unprovoked attack, the mountain lion clawed and bit Pasadena resident Scott Fike until he fought it off with rocks.

Fike, who was riding alone on a Mt. Lowe trail, tried to use his bicycle as a shield but dropped it and ran. He fell and scuffled with the animal, which clawed him and bit his head. Fike eventually hit it with rocks and escaped on his bicycle.

He suffered minor cuts and bruises.

Since 1919, state officials have recorded nine other mountain lion attacks on people, three of which resulted in deaths.

Before Fike, the latest attack was in December, 1994, when a 56-year-old woman was killed by a mountain lion at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in San Diego County.