Hikers Film Confrontation With Cougar: Here's What To Do If You See One

ENUMCLAW, WA - Hiker Brian McKinney's reaction to the cougar says it all: "I don't know, I don't think you're supposed to run." McKinney said that as he was taking video just a few feet from a large cougar he and his hiking partner, Sam Vonderheide, encountered along the High Sierra Trail inside Sequoia National Park in California.

The two hikers were rounding a bend in the forest when they saw the cougar - also called a mountain lion or puma - run across the trail. As they rounded the bend where the cougar was first seen, McKinney's pans his cell phone camera up, showing a large cougar perched on a rock above them.

For a few tense seconds, the hikers and the cougar just stare at each other. Here's the video he shot of the encounter:

So, what do you do if you encounter a cougar out in the woods?

First, cougars mostly only reside west of the Rockies. They are rarely seen in East Coast forests, although there are some living there, according to wildlife researchers. Second, it's rare to see a cougar in the wild even in the west, and it's even rarer to be attacked by one.

Recently near Cle Elum, Wash., a dog chased a cougar into the forest and was mauled to death. But since 2000, only two people in the U.S. have been killed by a cougar. Those attacks happened in Orange County, Calif., and in rural southwestern New Mexico.

According to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife, cougars are extremely secretive, and don't like to interact with humans. And even though McKinney said he didn't know what to do about the cougar, he and Vonderheide actually did the right thing.

If you come face-to-face with a cougar in the wild, you're going to have to stand your ground. Here are tips from the Washington DFW for dealing with an encounter:

• Stop, pick up small children immediately, and don’t run. Running and rapid movements may trigger an attack. Remember, at close range, a cougar’s instinct is to chase.
• Face the cougar. Talk to it firmly while slowly backing away. Always leave the animal an escape route.
• Try to appear larger than the cougar. Get above it (e.g., step up onto a rock or stump). If wearing a jacket, hold it open to further increase your apparent size. If you are in a group, stand shoulder-to-shoulder to appear intimidating.
• Do not take your eyes off the cougar or turn your back. Do not crouch down or try to hide.
• Never approach the cougar, especially if it is near a kill or with kittens, and never offer it food.
• If the cougar does not flee, be more assertive. If it shows signs of aggression (crouches with ears back, teeth bared, hissing, tail twitching, and hind feet pumping in preparation to jump), shout, wave your arms and throw anything you have available (water bottle, book, backpack). The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger.
• If the cougar attacks, fight back. Be aggressive and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back using anything within reach, including sticks, rocks, shovels, backpacks, and clothing—even bare hands. If you are aggressive enough, a cougar will flee, realizing it has made a mistake. Pepper spray in the cougar’s face is also effective in the extreme unlikelihood of a close encounter with a cougar.

Image via YouTube.com