Mountain Lions

It is unlikely that you will encounter a mountain lion while visiting the outdoors. Like almost all wild animals, they fear humans (Suraci et al., 2017). They also have very large territories, so do not congregate like the African lions you see in nature documentaries. However, if you're lucky enough to encounter these creatures, there are several things you can do.

First, plan ahead by not hiking alone. A lone target is more likely prey.

Second, be loud. Loud noises intimidate mountain lions.

Third, don't run. Running will encourage the mountain lion's instinct to hunt you down.

Fourth, don't approach cubs. Like bears, they will defend their young even if you don't see the parent nearby.

Finally, it's a shame that we've made it difficult for mountain lions to survive by encroaching on their territories. Unlike other animals, mountain lions need large open territories. Unfortunately landscape partitioning and loss of habitat have resulted in inbreeding in segregated mountain lion populations (Gustafson et al. 2017).