Kyle Burgess, a runner in Utah, ran into a mother cougar and her cubs on a trail.
Burgess recorded what he thought were bobcats.
Burgess did the right thing by give the cat space, talking to her and keeping eye contact.
“Holy shit, holy F&*ck, go away! What’s up dude? Nice and slow,” he can be heard speaking to the cat.
The cougar, protecting her territory and cubs marched the runner backward for over six minutes.
“OK, this is when I (expletive) die,” he says. “Come on, dude. I don’t feel like dying today.”
The cat lunged and bluffed him backwards several times. Finally, he threw a rock at the mountain lion and she ran away.
“Wow, that just happened,” Burgess said into the camera when he could finally relax. “I’m somewhat calm actually. Yeah, not going back that way.”
The post offered the following suggestions should you happen to have such an encounter of your own.
- Stop. Never run from a cougar and do not approach the cougar.
- Maintain eye contact with the animal
- Stand tall
- Do not crouch or squat
- Make yourself look bigger by raising and waving your arms or jacket above your head
- Talk firmly in a loud voice, back away slowly, and leave the area
- Pick up children and pets or keep them very close
- Fight back if you are attacked! Protect your head and neck
