When Mountain Lions attack

Accompanying the many warning signs for poison oak along the trails that we’ve been hiking have been similar signs announcing the fact that we are in mountain lion territory.  Mountain lion attacks are not all that uncommon in California, I remember hearing about them when I was a kid.  There have been a number of recent incidents in the area, and ever since hearing this story a few years ago about a Northern California woman who fought off a mountain lion that attacked her husband and LATCHED ON TO HIS HEAD while they were out hiking, I figured getting a little more info out there on how to avoid this situation couldn’t hurt the hiking community.

First, some additional info on mountain lions (aka North American Cougar):

• Prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking
• Territorial
• Usually avoids people
• Weigh between 100-150 lbs
• Most active at dawn and dusk
• Attacks are most frequent during late spring and summer (when adolescent mountain lions leave their mothers in search for new territory)

How to avoid mountain lions:

• Hike in groups
• Make noise when you hike (not usually a problem for us)
• If you hike with kids, keep them close to you…they go after smaller targets
• Never squat or bend–you will look like four-legged prey to any type of large cat (they suggest avoiding this if you are ever hiking in mountain lion territory, but I’m not sure how realistic that is…during the course of a hike some of us have to tie our shoes and/or pee)

What to do if you come across a mountain lion:

• DON’T FLEE–they will chase you down
• Make intense eye contact, yell, and appear larger and more menacing (some suggest showing your teeth and growling…if you have the wherewithal to do that when facing down a lion that wants to eat you, more power to you)
• Put plenty of space between yourself and the ML…you want to make sure it doesn’t feel cornered; back away slowly, but make sure you don’t turn your back on it
• Jab it in the eye (unclear how you’re supposed to do this while slowly backing away)

If you are attacked by a mountain lion:

• DON’T PLAY DEAD or roll into the fetal position (you do that with a grizzly bear)
• Fight back, never succumb
• Hit the ML on the head as hard as you can repeatedly
• Claw or throw sand in its eyes

Some other words of wisdom I came across in looking all of this up:

• “Never approach a mountain lion and try to pet it, no matter how friendly they may seem.”
• “If indeed you are attacked by an animal in the wild report this attack to Fish and Game, or the Ranger in the area as soon as possible.”