Self defense against a cougar

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

An update

Runner who suffocated mountain lion with his foot describes the attack - CNN

 

[JR 137]

"This is a remote, rare occurrence," Corwin said. "We can count on our hands the very few people killed or injured by a mountain lion in the last century."

Doesn’t matter how few people it happened to when it happens to you

 

[tim po]

cougar, puma, mountain lion, catamount, panther....they very rarely attack humans for food. they are not hungry, they are nature's perfect hunting machine.

when a puma attacks a human, it is almost invariably a territorial action. most attacks from big cats are not fatal-unless the human fights back. they often do not even use their claws, but pummel the snot out of a person with their paws, which in itself can be fatal. they are extremely strong, and make Bruce Lee look slow as molasses.

if you see a puma in the woods, it has already decided whether or not it will attack you. it has already decided to 'allow' you to see it, if it does not want to be seen, you won't. if it intends to kill you, you're dead. if it approaches you, or displays itself before you, it is curious. have you ever observed two cats having a stand-off? if you are given the opportunity to face off with a big cat, do not back down. stand tall, open your coat to appear as large as you can. no wild animal wants to risk even minor injury that could impair their ability to survive. if you see one and it is not attacking you, it is because it has doubt-do not let it change it's mind by showing fear or running away! you run, they chase, you lose.

if attacked, and you have no weapon? going limp and protecting your head and neck is your best bet. cats will 'lose interest' quickly if their prey does not resist.( unless they have already determined to kill, which they only will for food) if it wants to kill you, you're already dead.

if you have a weapon, any weapon, good luck, you're facing the strongest, fastest most savage opponent you will ever meet! fighting back without weapon, if it is a juvenile(which is more likely, a young cat will be eager to establish territorial rights, it will not be able to secure a mate until it does) is not an impossible victory, but against an adult cat( who has probably already learned not to mess with humans) it will likely win unarmed, but any weapon will allow you a better possibility of delivering a strike that could cause it to decide you are not worth the trouble, it will choose self-preservation, that is how it reached adulthood in the first place. if it is already on you and you are unarmed, play dead, same as with a bear.
won't work on a wolf, it intends to eat you and will whether you are alive or dead. but a wolf won't likely be hunting alone, either. fight with everything you've got, but they will not give up.

 

[tim po]

cougar, puma, mountain lion, catamount, panther....they very rarely attack humans for food. they are not hungry, they are nature's perfect hunting machine.

when a puma attacks a human, it is almost invariably a territorial action. most attacks from big cats are not fatal-unless the human fights back. they often do not even use their claws, but pummel the snot out of a person with their paws, which in itself can be fatal. they are extremely strong, and make Bruce Lee look slow as molasses.

if you see a puma in the woods, it has already decided whether or not it will attack you. it has already decided to 'allow' you to see it, if it does not want to be seen, you won't. if it intends to kill you, you're dead. if it approaches you, or displays itself before you, it is curious. have you ever observed two cats having a stand-off? if you are given the opportunity to face off with a big cat, do not back down. stand tall, open your coat to appear as large as you can. no wild animal wants to risk even minor injury that could impair their ability to survive. if you see one and it is not attacking you, it is because it has doubt-do not let it change it's mind by showing fear or running away! you run, they chase, you lose.

if attacked, and you have no weapon? going limp and protecting your head and neck is your best bet. cats will 'lose interest' quickly if their prey does not resist.( unless they have already determined to kill, which they only will for food) if it wants to kill you, you're already dead.

if you have a weapon, any weapon, good luck, you're facing the strongest, fastest most savage opponent you will ever meet! fighting back without weapon, if it is a juvenile(which is more likely, a young cat will be eager to establish territorial rights, it will not be able to secure a mate until it does) is not an impossible victory, but against an adult cat( who has probably already learned not to mess with humans) it will likely win unarmed, but any weapon will allow you a better possibility of delivering a strike that could cause it to decide you are not worth the trouble, it will choose self-preservation, that is how it reached adulthood in the first place. if it is already on you and you are unarmed, play dead, same as with a bear.
won't work on a wolf, it intends to eat you and will whether you are alive or dead. but a wolf won't likely be hunting alone, either. fight with everything you've got, but they will not give up.

An update

Runner who suffocated mountain lion with his foot describes the attack - CNN

this is terrifying, but i think it raises some interesting points about feline behavior.

first of all, people need to understand that the laws of nature still apply to us, even though we have created our own ever-encroaching world wherein we can behave unnaturally, without consequence. for every other creature on earth, f*ck up and something will eat you.

animals don't just 'go for a run' in the woods. at every moment they are aware that their life is in the balance. a man goes running through a mountain lion's hunting ground. he is already running, when the cat decides to attack. to the cat, he is PREY, because prey runs away! when he turned and flailed his arms and yelled, it was too late. this tactic can work, yelling and even throwing rocks at it may discourage attack if there is a 'stand off' moment. a cat will approach this way if unsure about the level of threat involved, they will scrutinize you for weakness. running away is the worst thing you can do, and if you are unaware of their presence and simply running, they don't know the difference.

he fought back and he won. i don't think the article mentioned the age or size of the cat, but i would be curious to know that. playing dead is one option, they may lose interest if they think you are boring...but i don't know if i myself could do that, but i am me. i read once about a 80 year old woman who was attacked by a mountain lion while hanging laundry in her yard. it grabbed her by the neck in it's jaws, dragged her half a mile into the woods and beat the snot out of her, no claws. then walked away. so did she, badly hurt, but alive. she fought while it dragged her but went limp when it started pummeling her, it was never about food, just territory.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I use to work a tree farm that had a resident cougar and our self defense was a

and a

None of this is necessary. Approx 30,000 mountain lions in California. Attacks are exceedingly rare. Usually an old, sick or young cat that attacks out of desperation. Most adult humans outweigh adult cougars. You are not on the menu. Some of you guys are sounding a little fearful of what amounts to a large feral housecat. Believe me, they see you, but you don’t see them. It’s not something to worry about for humans.

 

[Xue Sheng]

None of this is necessary. Approx 30,000 mountain lions in California. Attacks are exceedingly rare. Usually an old, sick or young cat that attacks out of desperation. Most adult humans outweigh adult cougars. You are not on the menu. Some of you guys are sounding a little fearful of what amounts to a large feral housecat. Believe me, they see you, but you don’t see them. It’s not something to worry about for humans.

Whose fearful, we carried just incase, did not stop me from going into the woods and cutting trees out of the trail. Did not stop me from checking the property lines. But I was more concerned about the cougar than the bear, but scared...no. Add to that...that was over 20 years ago

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

cougar, puma, mountain lion, catamount, panther....they very rarely attack humans for food. they are not hungry, they are nature's perfect hunting machine.

when a puma attacks a human, it is almost invariably a territorial action. most attacks from big cats are not fatal-unless the human fights back. they often do not even use their claws, but pummel the snot out of a person with their paws, which in itself can be fatal. they are extremely strong, and make Bruce Lee look slow as molasses.

if you see a puma in the woods, it has already decided whether or not it will attack you. it has already decided to 'allow' you to see it, if it does not want to be seen, you won't. if it intends to kill you, you're dead. if it approaches you, or displays itself before you, it is curious. have you ever observed two cats having a stand-off? if you are given the opportunity to face off with a big cat, do not back down. stand tall, open your coat to appear as large as you can. no wild animal wants to risk even minor injury that could impair their ability to survive. if you see one and it is not attacking you, it is because it has doubt-do not let it change it's mind by showing fear or running away! you run, they chase, you lose.

if attacked, and you have no weapon? going limp and protecting your head and neck is your best bet. cats will 'lose interest' quickly if their prey does not resist.( unless they have already determined to kill, which they only will for food) if it wants to kill you, you're already dead.

if you have a weapon, any weapon, good luck, you're facing the strongest, fastest most savage opponent you will ever meet! fighting back without weapon, if it is a juvenile(which is more likely, a young cat will be eager to establish territorial rights, it will not be able to secure a mate until it does) is not an impossible victory, but against an adult cat( who has probably already learned not to mess with humans) it will likely win unarmed, but any weapon will allow you a better possibility of delivering a strike that could cause it to decide you are not worth the trouble, it will choose self-preservation, that is how it reached adulthood in the first place. if it is already on you and you are unarmed, play dead, same as with a bear.
won't work on a wolf, it intends to eat you and will whether you are alive or dead. but a wolf won't likely be hunting alone, either. fight with everything you've got, but they will not give up.

This just isn’t true. They are frequently unsuccessful when hunting and go hungry regularly. They can be convinced to quit a fight they aren’t winning. Playing dead is a TERRIBLE plan. If the Cat approaches in the open, you are seeing a threat display that usually means there are Cubs near. An old man was attacked in this way locally and his elderly wife was able to dissuade the cat from continuing with a ball point pen. It not the same as a bear. Black bears differ in behavior west and east of the Rocky Mountains. Brown bears usually attack because they perceive a threat or are surprised. Black bears west of the Rockies almost always run from people. Black bears east of the Rockies are much more dangerous to people, often attacking people as a prey item. Do a little reading on the subject. ALWAYS fight against a black bear. ALWAYS play dead against a brown bear.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Whose fearful, we carried just incase, did not stop me from going into the woods and cutting trees out of the trail. Did not stop me from checking the property lines. But I was more concerned about the cougar than the bear, but scared...no. Add to that...that was over 20 years ago

Well a huge magnum revolver AND a rifle sounds like maybe you were afraid it was gonna get ya! I’m teasing you and everybody here a little bit on this.

 

[tim po]

This just isn’t true. They are frequently unsuccessful when hunting and go hungry regularly. They can be convinced to quit a fight they aren’t winning. Playing dead is a TERRIBLE plan. If the Cat approaches in the open, you are seeing a threat display that usually means there are Cubs near. An old man was attacked in this way locally and his elderly wife was able to dissuade the cat from continuing with a ball point pen. It not the same as a bear. Black bears differ in behavior west and east of the Rocky Mountains. Brown bears usually attack because they perceive a threat or are surprised. Black bears west of the Rockies almost always run from people. Black bears east of the Rockies are much more dangerous to people, often attacking people as a prey item. Do a little reading on the subject. ALWAYS fight against a black bear. ALWAYS play dead against a brown bear.

by bear i was thinking grizzly, black bears are basically 300 lb squirrels.

tigers will hunt humans for food, mountain lions will not unless they see them as easy prey(running, or just small). if it's already on you, and not using it's claws and teeth to finish you, it wants to teach you a lesson. letting may be better for some people than fighting back unarmed, they could end that in an instant. cats are cats, big or small. the real key is not to appear as prey in the first place, just like with people in that way.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

by bear i was thinking grizzly, black bears are basically 300 lb squirrels.

tigers will hunt humans for food, mountain lions will not unless they see them as easy prey(running, or just small). if it's already on you, and not using it's claws and teeth to finish you, it wants to teach you a lesson. letting may be better for some people than fighting back unarmed, they could end that in an instant. cats are cats, big or small. the real key is not to appear as prey in the first place, just like with people in that way.

Well I have worked with around 40 different tigers, they vary as much as humans in personality. I have only a little experience with grizzlies. I have known and worked with a few black bears, and you are correct in that MOST of them are fairly nonaggressive. I have extensive experience with mountain lions. They use claws to hold on and kill with a neck bite. Anything else is not an attempt to eat you. Many house cats will attack people, they don’t plan to eat you either (most). There is a big difference between tigers and mt. Lions. They don’t even share the same genus. The real key is not to be afraid Because your chances of being attacked are less than shark bite or lightning strike. You are far more likely to be attacked and killed by the neighbor dog.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

by bear i was thinking grizzly, black bears are basically 300 lb squirrels.

tigers will hunt humans for food, mountain lions will not unless they see them as easy prey(running, or just small). if it's already on you, and not using it's claws and teeth to finish you, it wants to teach you a lesson. letting may be better for some people than fighting back unarmed, they could end that in an instant. cats are cats, big or small. the real key is not to appear as prey in the first place, just like with people in that way.

Not trying to troll you here Tim.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

by bear i was thinking grizzly, black bears are basically 300 lb squirrels.

tigers will hunt humans for food, mountain lions will not unless they see them as easy prey(running, or just small). if it's already on you, and not using it's claws and teeth to finish you, it wants to teach you a lesson. letting may be better for some people than fighting back unarmed, they could end that in an instant. cats are cats, big or small. the real key is not to appear as prey in the first place, just like with people in that way.

I’m a former zookeeper with a special place in my heart for cougars. I bottle raised one and I will never be the same after him seeing me as his momma even when he was all grown up. It changes your perspective once you have that relationship.

 

[tim po]

Not trying to troll you here Tim.

that wasn't for you! i appreciate your responses, and i've only talked with and attended seminars with people who actually work with big cats. i've read and studied with animal behaviorists, but don't have the experience you do. i am glad to hear even objections to anything i say, if it comes from a place of offering a more complete perspective, so that all may increasetheir awareness.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

that wasn't for you! i appreciate your responses, and i've only talked with and attended seminars with people who actually work with big cats. i've read and studied with animal behaviorists, but don't have the experience you do. i am glad to hear even objections to anything i say, if it comes from a place of offering a more complete perspective, so that all may increasetheir awareness.

I knew who it was for but I didn’t want to seem like I was piling on to you either. God knows I’m trying not to be ruthless. Lol.

 

[tim po]

your chances of being attacked are less than shark bite or lightning strike. You are far more likely to be attacked and killed by the neighbor dog.

this may also have to do with the general frequency of humans entering a mountain lion's territory, or vise-versa. given a choice, they would rather avoid us, but we just keep pushing.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

this may also have to do with the general frequency of humans entering a mountain lion's territory, or vise-versa. given a choice, they would rather avoid us, but we just keep pushing.

This is true. They are all over L.A. and with 30 million people, attacks are still incredibly rare. That said, anything will fight when cornered.

 

[Flying Crane]

None of this is necessary. Approx 30,000 mountain lions in California. Attacks are exceedingly rare. Usually an old, sick or young cat that attacks out of desperation. Most adult humans outweigh adult cougars. You are not on the menu. Some of you guys are sounding a little fearful of what amounts to a large feral housecat. Believe me, they see you, but you don’t see them. It’s not something to worry about for humans.

I agree, except for the assessment of it being essentially a large, feral housecat. They are definitely not that. They are actually built to take down prey that outweights most humans considerably, antelope and such, to a few hundred pounds, several times their own weight.

 

[Flying Crane]

by bear i was thinking grizzly, black bears are basically 300 lb squirrels.

tigers will hunt humans for food, mountain lions will not unless they see them as easy prey(running, or just small). if it's already on you, and not using it's claws and teeth to finish you, it wants to teach you a lesson. letting may be better for some people than fighting back unarmed, they could end that in an instant. cats are cats, big or small. the real key is not to appear as prey in the first place, just like with people in that way.

Black bears are incredibly strong and quick and can grow into the 500+ pounds range. Definitely not something to be trifled with, even if there are behavioral differences in different regions. Black bears are well deserving of respect and caution.

 

[Flying Crane]

I’m a former zookeeper with a special place in my heart for cougars. I bottle raised one and I will never be the same after him seeing me as his momma even when he was all grown up. It changes your perspective once you have that relationship.

I don’t know if you have ever been to the Folsom zoo sanctuary down here by Sacramento. We have several mountain lions and black bears in our little zoo. Fascinating animals, we love that place. Would love to get a job there but I do not have a background in biology or veterinary medicine, or a related field, so no luck so far.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Nice

Whose fearful, we carried just incase, did not stop me from going into the woods and cutting trees out of the trail. Did not stop me from checking the property lines. But I was more concerned about the cougar than the bear, but scared...no. Add to that...that was over 20 years ago

Very nice holster btw.