Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
"A female hiker was injured by a mountain lion while
hiking in a remote area of Big Bend National Park on Friday, November 23.
Andrea Pinero Cebrian and her companions were exploring the Mesa de Anguila
near Lajitas when she was attacked. Cebrian was treated by Terlingua Medics and
her injuries are not considered to be life threatening. The Mesa de Anguila has
been closed to all visitors while rangers and park biologists investigate and
patrol in search of the mountain lion."
On Big Bend Chat was a publication
that said the hiker and her two companions tried to out run the lion instead of
following proper wild country procedure.
She was last in line of the group.
Folks if you are going out into the wild country please
take the time to learn proper procedures for dealing with the inhabitants of
the wild country.
Now the question is what should you do? The answer is at
the Bibe website. Go to this page and study it carefully, it can mean life or
eaten.
Here is an excerpt from that page about lions.
“Big Bend is
mountain lion country, especially the Chisos Mountains. While lion attacks are
rare, several have occurred in the last decade. Should you encounter an
aggressive mountain lion, hold your ground, wave your arms, throw stones, and
shout. Never run. Keep groups together and
consider hiking elsewhere with young children if you come across a special
mountain lion warning sign posted at a trailhead.”
As you read, the hiker and her companions tried to outrun
the lion. YOU CANNOT OUTRUN A LION or most other wild mammals.
Running from a mountain lion is NOT a good way of trying
to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.
I hope the mountain can escape the usual fate. It wasn't at fault, just doing its normal thing!
ReplyDeleteNita congratulations on surviving a reasonable post on BBC. I quit being a member of that site years ago because of the stupid antics and comments of some of the revered posters.
DeleteOne of my friends who lived in Auburn, CA was a runner, and was running along the trails one morning when a mountain lion jumped her from above and behind. The reports said she was dead immediately and probably never saw him. You never know which animals are around, but you're right - you need to know what to do if you see one. If you are running, you are prey to a mountain lion. That's a pretty scary thought, but thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note, I hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving! :)
All prediters instinctively chase anything that is runnig. It takes guts to stare one down but it gives you a much better chance of surviving. Even your pet dog will chase after you if you run.
ReplyDeleteBarney...A GREAT post....one that needs to be re-read often.,...fact is, I'm going to BB the start of next month...so a timely reminder for me....tanks for sharing...hope all is going well for you...Horst sends
ReplyDeleteRunning from a lion is the behavior of prey. If they had stayed together and followed the recommended behavior the lion would no doubt have backed off. I hope I never have to test myself on that however.
ReplyDeleteMy experience in the wild reflects exactly what you said. Have fun.
Deleteseriously good advice... these wild critters are nothing to take for granted...
ReplyDeleteYOU CANNOT OUTRUN A LION... She was last in line of the group.
ReplyDeleteAs this story proves you don't need to outrun the lion you just need to outrun your hiking companions.
Excellent advice..it's just hard to remember to do that when faced with one getting ready to charge or coming at you. It's like the running instinct takes over, I guess.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived up in Montana, whenever we went hiking we always tied a couple little bells to our pack. That was because most wild animals will go the other way if they hear you coming, but if you surprise and/or corner them they will attack in self defence. Unless this lion was injured or starving, the main other reason for attacking was that it was a she that had babies hidden somewhere close.
ReplyDeleteWhat a scary story! We are probably headed there around Big Bend in a few months and will take heed of your advice. I wonder if grizzly spray in the face would have helped if they faced it down? We carry a can on our belts when walking even up north, in case of coyotes or wolves when we are walking our dogs.
ReplyDelete~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Karen and Steve
(Old Blog Name) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
(New Blog Name) RVing: This Country Is Our Big Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com