Kyle Smith, who oversees all the Conservancy forests in Washington state, sent along this photo of a big cougar strolling a logging road at our Ellsworth Creek Preserve near Willapa Bay in southwest Washington.
Kyle offers these tips for cougar encounters:
If you are out in the woods and encounter a mountain lion:
Stay calm. Hold your ground or back away slowly. Face the lion, make eye contact and stand upright making yourself as large as possible.
Yell, shout, bang your walking stick or water bottle. Make loud noises to let the mountain lion know you are not prey
Do not approach a lion. Never approach a mountain lion especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children or pets with you, pick them up if possible so they don't panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.
Do not crouch down or bend over. Biologists surmise mountain lions don't recognize standing humans as prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. If you're in mountain lion habitat, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children.
If the mountain lion moves in your direction or acts aggressively:
Do all you can to appear intimidating.
Attempt to appear larger by raising your arms and opening your jacket if you are wearing one. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice.
If looking bigger doesn't scare the mountain lion off, start throwing stones, branches, or whatever you can reach in its direction without crouching or turning your back.
If the mountain lion attacks you:
Fight Back! Many have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools, and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.
