No one really expects to encounter a mountain lion when they’re out in the woods. And to be honest, all you can do if you happen to cross paths with one of these creatures is follow some guidelines to reduce the risk of an attack.
As much as you’ll want to get the heck out of there immediately, you should NEVER turn around and run – that will only encourage it to chase.
These animals operate on instinct and they understand predators and prey and their goal is not to become the latter (as is yours!).
A man known only as “Chris” faced this very situation while out on a summer mountain biking adventure near Fernie, British Columbia in Canada.
The creature even stalked him as he moved, so there was a chance he could have gotten himself into some big trouble.
According to the Mountain Lion Foundation:
“The best way to ensure that both you and the lion may leave safely is for you to back away slowly while continuing to look as big and intimidating as possible, leaving the lion avenues of escape.”
That’s tough for most people who are scared out of their minds (or foolhardy enough to approach the animal).
Chris’s video begins after he’s spotted the mountain lion which is crouching in the grass and coming towards him. Yikes!
“This is really freaky” he admits. And while you might think it was unwise to film, retreating isn’t a good option. At least your phone can help look less like a deer!
It feels like a scene from a horror movie as the lion gets closer and closer.
“That is a mountain lion. And he’s stalking me,” Chris narrates not-so-calmly.
Watching this gives viewers a pretty good idea of just how intimidating the situation is. Would you want to make yourself big and loud at this point? That might feel risky too.
While it looks like the lion has stopped temporarily, it begins to come into focus – and that’s because it’s now REALLY close!
It’s even freaking US out and we’re watching it after it happened and from the safety of our home!
And just when you think maybe he’s got a good plan, the lion breaks into a run and Chris fumbles with the camera. For a moment, we don’t know what he’s doing and if he’ll survive. It’s just all blurry rocks and leaves and heavy breathing from poor Chris.
But he has the wherewithal to keep the camera on and it appears he was backing up. Except that didn’t stop the mountain lion.
Now he starts making some noise by talking to the mountain lion. That should at least be a good indication that he’s not a deer. Mountain lions aren’t really out to eat humans and they distinguish their prey by movement and shape.
“Hey Mr. Mountain Lion. How are you doin’?” he says.
What can we say, he’s Canadian.
The look on the lion’s face says “really dude, are those going to be your last words?”
Chris continues: “Nice to see you. I am much bigger than you.”
The cat is still on the prowl, seemingly circling Chris, but still keeping some distance. It’s a risk to attack, so it’s biding its time.
If you thought that was the scary part, just wait!
Next, the lion moves behind a nearby bush and becomes completely obscured. But if you turn up the volume, right after Chris shouts “GO,” you can hear the lion growling!
Chris growls back. What else can you do?
The video breaks away for a moment, possibly because Chris needed to back away (or to edit out his whimpering, which is what we would have been doing). But the minute it starts up again, the lion is at it again. And this time he’s kind enough to use the bike trail!
When he turns the phone around on himself we can’t help but wonder if that’s going to be the last look anyone ever gets at Chris.
As he repeats “I’m not afraid of you” (which is probably the greatest lie Chris has ever uttered), the lion finally breaks eye contact.
But to see just what happens before Chris stops filming, make sure to scroll down below.
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