Heart-stopping mountain lion encounter caught on video

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Scott Smith and Alina Hartounian, Associated Press
Updated 11:24 pm, Monday, August 7, 2017


FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A nerve-rattling encounter with a mountain lion started with a fleeting glimpse of the big cat's tail on a High Sierra trail in California's wilderness.

Brian McKinney didn't believe it was a puma that his hiking partner Sam Vonderheide had seen, so he got out his phone and hit record as they followed the lithe creature.

The hikers slowly rounded a turn to see it peering down on them from a rocky perch just feet away.

Its ears were perked up, head cocked and eyes locked on them.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Video-California-hikers-record-encounter-with-11739903.php

[sandensea]

1. What a beautiful beast!

Here's hoping he never runs into any gun humpers.

[burrowowl]

2. Nice video!

[Hieronymus]

3. Thanks for the video ..

[Alice11111]

4. Beautiful. I've seen bears hiking. Exciting & scary.

[Demoiselle]

23. Does a bear hike walking upright or on all fours? (I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.) eom

[Alice11111]

32. Ok...you get that one.

[Cicada]

5. Five star animal, Darwin Award humans

Following it up the trail was an excellent way to get killed

[TeamPooka]

8. the hunters become the hunted. Things can change every quickly.

[pfitz59]

6. Healthy looking cat

did you see the muscles on it?

[SergeStorms]

7. Beautiful creature.

They were in the mountain lion's domain. Not a wise move to follow it. It didn't look like it was in attack mode though, more curious than anything I believe. If the guy filming it was alone though, things might have turned out decidedly different. It's best to view nature from a distance and not intrude. Those two were lucky as hell.

[VermontKevin]

9. I think I can tell the exact moment in the video when they shat themselves.

[brush]

10. Nature is amazing. Towards the end the protective coloration of the cat made him...

almost blend into the rocks. His color, except for his face, is the same as the rocks he's perched on.

[Orrex]

11. I gather that this isn't one of those belly-rubs-are-ok cats?

Yikes!

How much do you suppose this cat weighs?

And, I say again, yikes!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. You could try a belly-rub. Kitteh might like it.

Or not.

Males usually weigh around 150 lbs., females a bit less. That's a lot of belly to rub.

[Bob Loblaw]

12. Hello kitty

nt

[Stuart G]

13. Once in the 70s I was camping out in Yellowstone Park,

and this huge moose came to a fence adjacent to the campgrounds. Evidently, the same moose, (and it was indeed HUGE)..came everyday to the same fence at the same campground. The moose had a reason for making a daily trip.............

..........................The moose was fed a variety of foods that the campers gave it..........

.......................... I don't think anyone was supposed to feed it, but many did............
and I don't think the moose was any worse for wear.................

However.......................dealing with a mountain lion or a bear...........is totally different.........
...................................especially if they have babies....give them room...lots of room........

[sinkingfeeling]

14. Idiots. Why follow it?

[Coventina]

15. That cat has probably watched dozens or even hundreds of hikers from that perch.

Mountain lions know their territory well. That trail and the humans that use it are not new to him/her.

But, being "made" obviously caused the situation to be tense. They are very shy, generally, so it probably would have run if it felt threatened. However, one can never be too careful with apex predators. Note that I said "probably."

[byronius]

16. Gorgeous. And smart instincts on the part of the backpackers.

[Bayard]

17. The cat behaved in exemplary fashion

Especially with two humans invading her territory. She appears very wary, but curious. If they would have been talking louder coming up the trail, they would probably never even saw her.

When I lived out there, my farm was in the lower Sierra's, down the road from Kings Canyon and Sequoia National parks. I would have loved to be able to see one of the big cats. They occasionally came down to our level and took a goat or sheep, but that was usually one that was too old to hunt normally, or one that was young and stupid. Urban sprawl keeps creeping further up the mountains, and crowding them. Its legal to shoot them there, but always greatly saddened me to see a photo of someone with their "kill".

Much like the time we ended up behind a truck on the road where someone had killed a bear cub, and was letting it bleed out the truck bed onto the road.

[geek tragedy]

18. next up: man swims after school of piranha nt

[panader0]

19. Several years ago I was hiking alone in the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson.

I saw a mule deer and several javelina as I wound my way down a large lush
arroyo. There was a big rock outcropping ahead and suddenly, from behind
the boulders, a large mountain lion jumped up on top. I was amazed at first,
it was magnificent. But then I realized I was very close and it was up a lot
higher than I was. So I took a dozen or so steps backwards, watching closely,
then turned slowly and walked away. I believe it must have been a mama
with cubs behind the boulders.

[LeftInTX]

20. Shouldn't they have made a bunch of noise?

Their silence probably encouraged the cat's stalking.
Shouldn't they have known how to tell the difference between a bobcat and a Mt. Lion?

And they wanted to see a rattle snake? Gosh I almost stepped on one while I was in the city of San Antonio. I was walking on a paved surface and someone started shouting in Spanish, then he warned me in English. We often see snakes crossing the pavement, but this time it was a rattle snake.

[Vinca]

21. And then they set up camp in the woods??? Yike!

I'd be checking into the nearest motel. LOL. Beautiful animal though.

[Bradical79]

24. Camping is probably pretty safe from mountain lions

They try to avoid people, and a campground has a big tent, fire, and loud talk. It's when they think you're sneaking up on them, cornering them, or between them and their cubs that you've got a problem. So do pretty much the opposite of what these guys did lol.

[Skittles]

22. that cat is gorgeous

seriously

[Bradical79]

25. Yeah

They were stupid, but I'm glad they made it out of the encounter ok with this video. Sometimes people being dumbasses gives us some phenominal footage lol.

[Skittles]

29. it's like I aways say about people doing really stupid things

I think they are crazy, but I concede life would be very boring INDEED if no one did crazy things

[eleny]

26. I think I heard one of them say something like, "What should we do?" when they rounded the bend

Or something along those lines. That's what they needed to ask themselves when they first saw it cross their path up ahead.

The cat was riveted on them. What were they thinking? Of course it heard them on the path and quickly found a good vantage point to deal with them. Like someone said up-thread - Darwin Award.

[Kablooie]

28. Clever kitty to immediately climb up above where he could pounce at will.

And clever cameraman to search until they found him up there.

[jpak]

30. My cat does that to me all the time.

He's so bad.

[Blue_Tires]

31. Nothing to be skeert of...

not like it was a *real* lion or tiger or a bear...

[Merlot]

33. Interesting how the big cat sat next to a tree the same color

Talk about your camouflage!