Mountain lions (cougars or pumas) are solitary, elusive predators found across North America. While they generally avoid human contact, their expanding range means encounters are a possibility that requires preparedness. Understanding safety protocols can increase the chances of a positive outcome during an unexpected meeting. This guide provides essential protocols for navigating mountain lion habitat and responding to a sighting.
Prevention and Avoidance Strategies
Traveling in groups is effective for reducing the risk of encounter, as the cats are less likely to approach a larger group of people. Making noise while hiking, such as talking loudly or periodically calling out, alerts wildlife to your presence. This gives the mountain lion time to move away before an accidental encounter. Avoid using headphones that block out the sounds of your surroundings.
Mountain lions are most active during dawn and dusk, their typical hunting times. Avoiding travel during these low-light periods minimizes the chances of crossing paths with a foraging cat. Securing food and garbage is important, as these items attract the lion’s natural prey, like raccoons and deer, which draws the predator. Trimming dense vegetation and removing brush piles around homes eliminates potential hiding spots for lions, especially where human dwellings abut wildlands.
Handling a Non-Aggressive Sighting
If you spot a mountain lion that is not showing immediate signs of aggression, the first action is to remain calm and resist the instinct to flee. Running can trigger the lion’s predatory chase instinct, as it perceives a person running as prey. Instead, you must immediately stand your ground and maintain direct eye contact with the animal.
The next step is to alter your physical appearance to deter the lion by making yourself look much larger. This involves raising your arms above your head, opening your jacket, or holding a backpack high to increase your silhouette. Avoid bending over or crouching down to pick up objects, as this posture can make you resemble a four-legged prey animal, potentially encouraging an attack.
You should speak to the lion in a loud, firm, and deep voice to assert your presence and disrupt any predatory focus. Use slow, steady movements to back away from the animal, giving it an easy escape route. Never turn your back on the lion during this retreat, and avoid making any sudden movements that could be misinterpreted as a challenge or an attempt to flee.
While slowly backing away, you should prepare to use any available deterrents. This might include rocks, sticks, trekking poles, or pepper spray, which should be retrieved without bending down or taking your eyes off the cat. The goal is to convince the mountain lion that you are a threat or that a confrontation is not worth the effort, encouraging it to retreat on its own. If the lion does not retreat, continue to stand your ground, making noise and appearing large, until the animal moves away.
Responding to an Attack
If a mountain lion initiates a physical attack or a full charge, the response must be immediate and aggressive. Fight back using whatever means are available to inflict pain and shock the animal. Passive defense, such as playing dead, is not an effective strategy against a mountain lion.
The lion typically attempts to target the head and neck, as these are the most vulnerable areas on prey. Remain standing if possible and use your arms and hands to guard your neck and face. Strike the animal aggressively with anything you can grasp, such as a backpack, rocks, sticks, or your bare fists.
Targeting sensitive areas of the cat, such as the eyes or nose, can force it to disengage. The objective is to make the confrontation difficult and painful so the mountain lion determines the effort is not worth the risk. Individuals who have fought back vigorously have deterred the attack and survived the encounter.
Protecting Vulnerable Companions
Mountain lions often view small children and domestic pets as especially vulnerable prey due to their size and behavior. If you are with small children, the first priority is to pick them up immediately. This action not only removes the child as an easy target but also increases your overall perceived size to the lion.
When lifting a child, do so without turning your back or bending over. Turning or bending exposes your neck and makes you look like a four-legged animal. Pets should be kept on a short leash at all times in mountain lion country, preventing them from roaming or attracting the cat’s attention. If a lion is focused on a pet, position yourself between the cat and the animal, or shield the pet behind your legs.
If the lion attempts to take a pet, the adult must still prioritize their own safety while attempting to deter the cat through shouting and throwing objects. While protecting companions is instinctive, you should avoid unnecessarily putting yourself in harm’s way for a pet, as this can escalate the danger to the human. The presence of a calm, large adult standing their ground is the best defense for all members of the group.