Utah mountain lion full#

“When cougars stalk, they’re quiet and stay out of sight – it’s one of the secrets of their success. One final note: Contrary to what many headlines blared, the mountain lion did not “stalk” Burgess, Hornocker said. As the video clip demonstrated, just because the mother isn’t visible doesn’t mean she’s not nearby. Keep in mind that cougar cubs can resemble young domestic cats.You can also take preventive measures, such as not hiking alone on backwoods trails and not wearing headphones.Carry something that can be tossed in the cougar’s direction – a walking stick, trekking poles, a backpack, water bottle.Avoid bending down or crouching, as you will appear smaller and less threatening and possibly trigger an instinctual prey response.Back away, shout and appear large, just as Burgess did as he backtracked from the mother cat.Never turn around and run or try to ride away on a bicycle.Should you spot one, here’s what he recommends: Due to Hornocker’s scientific research, cougars were reclassified from predators to big game species in most Western states, including Washington.Ĭougars stick to the shadows, and seeing one in the wild is extremely rare, he said. “Dogs and large livestock kill far more people than mountain lions do,” said Hornocker, who trekked more than 5,000 miles in pursuit of the elusive cats early in his career. In the past 100 years, two people have been killed in cougar attacks and 18 injured, according to state wildlife authorities. By contrast, the world’s fastest runner is Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who clocked 28 mph in the 100-meter dash.Īn estimated 2,100 mountain lions live in Washington, and human conflicts with them remain rare. These large cats can leap 30 feet from a standstill and reach speeds of 50 mph in a sprint, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Not only will running trigger a cougar’s instinct to chase prey, but it’s impossible to outrun one. Fortunately, Burgess was able to grab a rock when the mother cat took her glaring eyes off him to glance back at her cubs. Running away would have made him look like prey, Hornocker said, as would stopping and bending over to pick up an object to throw. Had Burgess not backed away slowly and made loud noises, the scenario could have gone in a tragic direction. Instead she kept following him and making herself loud and visible.” She would have lowered herself close to the ground and come at him like a rocket. “If she had planned to attack him, she would have been secretive. “I think she was putting more and more distance between him and her youngsters,” Hornocker said. At the end of the video, she finally turns and runs after he picks up a rock and tosses it at her. Solitary and secretive, cougars are rarely seen in the wild and chance encounters with humans are typically brief. Several experts interviewed in news stories have said they are puzzled that the mountain lion followed Burgess for six minutes. “Go away! I’m big and scary!” Burgess is heard yelling as he continues to back away. Today, he is recognized as the premier authority on the animal.

Utah mountain lion full#

“They were in full protection mode, the same as the female in that video,” said Hornocker, who in the 1960s began pioneering research on mountain lion population dynamics in central Idaho’s vast wilderness region. Reading the adult cats’ behavioral cues, he backed off, he explained. It was her way of saying ‘You back off!’ to the hiker,” said Hornocker, who experienced two similar encounters during his research while approaching radio-collared females with babies nearby. “She was in a threatening, but defensive stance to protect her babies.

Each time, she stops a few feet before reaching him, her powerful legs kicking up dirt and gravel. Several times she is seen charging and lunging with her teeth bared. She started following him, growling with her ears pinned back and her tail swishing. When he paused to shoot video, a mother mountain lion suddenly emerged.

Today, it has racked up 6.4 million views on YouTube and nearly 2 million views on Instagram.īurgess later told reporters that he had spotted what looked like four fluffy kittens scampering just ahead of him on the trail. “Go away!” Burgess shouts, along with curses and loud grunts.īurgess posted the video to Instagram and it immediately went viral.

In the 6-minute video, the cougar is seen advancing toward Burgess as he slowly backs away on a dirt trail.