What to do if you are attacked on the trail by a Mountain Lion or a Bear.
I was hiking yesterday with some friends and we got to talking about what you should do if attacked by a mountain lion while out on a hike, I always felt that if you are in a group of people your chances of getting attacked are much less, little did we know that very day a 6 year old boy would be attacked by a mountain lion while hiking with his family and another group of hikers, 9 other people altogether. This got me thinking as to what you should do, since I am not a wild life expert, I will defer to people that know better.
The Mountain Lion Foundation recommends that you:
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Make yourself appear as large as possible.
- Make yourself appear larger by picking up your children, leashing pets in, and standing close to other adults. Open your jacket. Raise your arms. Wave your raised arms slowly.
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Make Noise
- Yell, shout, bang your walking sticks against a tree. Make any loud sound that cannot be confused by the lion as the sound of prey. Speak slowly, firmly and loudly to disrupt and discourage predatory behavior.
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Act like a predator yourself.
- Maintain eye contact. Never run past or from a mountain lion. Never bend over or crouch down. Aggressively wave your raised arms, throw stones or branches, all without turning away.
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Slowly create distance.
- Assess the situation. Consider whether you may be between the lion and its kittens, or between the lion and its prey or cache. Back slowly to a spot that gives the mountain lion a path to get away, never turning away from the animal. Give a mountain lion the time and ability to move away.
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Protect yourself.
- If attacked, fight back. Protect your neck and throat. People have utilized rocks, jackets, garden tools, tree branches, walking sticks, fanny packs and even bare hands to turn away cougars.
Not to be an alarmist, as there have only been 13 verified mountain lion attacks in California between 1986 and 2013, resulting in three fatalities, aged 35, 40 and 56. The last attack was in July 2012 when a lion attacked a 63-year-old man as he camped near the Yuba River in Nevada County. But the victim managed to fight the animal off. So even though the statistics show that your really not in that much of danger from mountain lions I think its still best to be prepared and know what you can do to stop an attack from occurring in case you ever meet up with one on a hike.
With that story in mind it got me to thinking about the other animal attack that always gets brought up when hiking. Here in San Diego I highly doubt that you will ever be attacked by a bear, you would have to find one first, but if you are an avid hiker chances are that you will eventually venture up in country where bears are more prevalent therefor its prudent to know what to do in case a bear attacks you as well.
The Get Bear Smart Society recommends that you:
- Remain calm and ready your bear spray ( or other deterrent). Stay together if you are in a group; you will appear larger and more intimidating if you stick together.
- This may sound funny but it goes into that category of know before you go: Grizzly bears and black bears tend to behave differently in a given situation, so it helps to know which species you are dealing with.
- Females with cubs or bears defending food sources may appear to act aggressively as they defend their cubs and or food, so determine if either is present.
Now that you know what your dealing with…..
- If you see the bear at a distance, respect its need for personal space. Do not approach it and give it as much room as possible. ( duh ! )
- If you encounter a bear on the trail, or in a campsite, stop what you are doing and stand your ground. Identify yourself by speaking in a calm and appeasing tone. Back away slowly, preferably in the direction you came. Walk, don’t run, and keep your eye on the bear so you can see how it will react. In most cases the bear will flee.
- If you are in your campsite or other places bears shouldn’t be, and your sure the bear is a black bear, consider trying to move it out of the area. Ensure the bear has a clear and safe escape route with no people or obstacles in its way. Stand tall and look it directly in the eyes. Yell at the bear and firmly tell it to leave ! ” Get out of here bear ! ” Keep a can of bear spray ready in case the bear approaches to closely. Never try to move a grizzly bear !
- Sometimes a bear that feels threatened will act aggressively to defend against a perceived threat. This is often the case with a mother bear with cubs, a bear defending a food source, or a surprise encounter. It may pop its jaws, or swat the ground with its front paw while blowing and snorting, and/ or it may lunge or “bluff charge” toward you in an attempt to get you to leave. – In this situation the bear doesn’t want to fight any more than you do. It is simply trying to communicate that you are to close. Try to appear non-threatening by remaining still and calm. Ready your bear spray, by removing the safety lock. Speak in an appeasing voice and back away, increasing your distance from the bear. Leave the area immediately.