It’s hard to see such a solution for the case where the cat surprises an unarmed runner in a ‘front country’ setting.
The cat was probably already irreparably damaged by previous habituation to humans. A big predator that is habituated can very seldom be rehabilitated, and the kindest outcome that I could foresee would likely be euthanasia. Just as some wild creatures will get in an automobile accident and be beyond rehabilitation because of physical injury that would keep them from functioning on their own, some will be injured behaviourally and be equally unable to function in their native habitat.
I’ve always been a bit of a bleeding-heart about wildlife, but recognize reluctantly that we have also to be realistic. Even in my teens, I certainly agreed (painfully) that the black bear sow who’d taken up residence in my uncle’s tractor barn had to be destroyed, just as every couple of years when the chipmunks find their way into my house in the autumn, they must be destroyed as well. (They will acclimate to central heating, they won’t have built proper burrows, and if I just trap them ‘humanely’ and put them outside, they’ll freeze to death or be killed by a neighbour’s cat.) I don’t like putting any creature down, but sometimes it’s the only responsible thing to do.
maybe there could be a solution where the Cat is not strangled to death?
“What the hell are we supposed to use, man? Harsh language?” --Frost, “Aliens”
Seriously, though? Potentially lethal wild animal attacks you, bites your face, you are miles from any help. You do anything you can to live. The welfare of the individual animal who just attacked you is way, way down your priority list. This is regardless of your general concern for that animal’s species and habitat.
I would have liked to see an outcome where both cat and man escaped unharmed, but in a situation like this one, that’s improbable. I certainly can’t ask any human being to accept their prey status without a fight.
However we draw the boundaries between human and wildlife, those boundaries are going to be crossed, especially since there is no way for the wildlife to understand them. In the case of an attack like this, killing the cougar is probably the best result for the species as a whole, since it means that the cougars that avoid humans are the ones that survive and teach their offspring to fear us.
Well considering that almost a third of the US population lives within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and more pressure is put upon species and their habitats, instances of human-wildlife interaction will only increase. Unfortunately, the animals are at a distinct disadvantage and will certainly lose out in the end.
The loss of another big Cat bugs me. We don’t have a large surplus of these. Of course I am aware of these wonderful beings wandering off to where they encounter humans. Their habitats have become smaller. Drilling in National Parks and such has not contributed to their being able to survive as in times passed.
Maybe the focus should simply be given to develop ‘repellents’, or even a taser to defend oneself during such an encounter. However, my experiences are only with smaller Felines and I do know what deters them. Yelling scares most animals away.
Last but not least, suffering from depression in a depressing time creates thoughts that might not be suited to publish. I will keep that in mind for future articles about events that effect me emotionally.
A self unfolding cardboard box would be something. Small enough to be carried with you - then in case of an encounter, pull the string and it unfolds to a large size, inviting the Cat to get into it. As seen in your image.
“US government debt yields were lower to unchanged on Wednesday, as market participants awaited speeches from two prominent Federal Reserve policymakers. The yield on the benchmark ten-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to price, was lower at around 2.702 percent, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was unchanged at 3.038 percent.”
Some years ago, a juvenile delinquent male was spotted on the inner-city riverside trail where I usually jogged. My reaction? For FOUR YEARS I ran an extra quarter-mile just to check the riverbank under that bridge for fresh tracks. No dice.
Before someone starts scolding me about the danger of wild animals, you’re wasting your breath. I’d rather be notorious for being ‘that idiot jogger who got eaten by the mountain lion’ than ignored as ‘the mummified remains found in bed during a Health & Welfare Check’.
I had to give up running on the South Platte Trail when the junkies started ‘camping’ next to it and attacking passersby. I’m not scared of a mountain lion, but I don’t want to run the gauntlet of junkies.
A friend and I encountered a female mountain lion and her two kits while hiking up to Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, back in 1977.
She knew we were there before we knew she was there. The three were above the falls watching us, we were at the edge of the lake looking down into the water (the big attraction is it is crystal clear). I thought I heard a human baby screaming somewhere, we’re looking at each other saying,“WTF?”
We looked around and she finally revealed herself above us around 50 yards away. She was burning pinholes through us, not moving, poised to jump. Scared shitless, we backed up slowly to the south side of the lake (it’s maybe 100-150 yard perimeter) where the entrance was and turned and began vaulting down the rocks back to the bottom across from the Colorado River on I-70.
It took us an hour or so to hike up and less than five minutes to vault down. She was letting us know to keep our distance from her kits and she was more than willing to attack. Incredible wild encounter.
I used to bike the Platte and Cherry Creek trails daily and never had any problems but in recent years the aggressive policing of homeless camps (and gentrification of Union Station and River North areas) have pushed the downtrodden and junkies onto the river banks. I live downtown now and the aggressive panhandling and dangerous mentally ill problem along the 16th St Mall is the worst I’ve seen in 20 years. I have zero fear of an errant mountain lion in the city.
Suppose we could move to the Lofts at SoDoSoPa with views of historic Kenny’s house:
Back in the 80’s, the Parks & Wildlife department was paying a $50 bounty for the first one you killed, same as a coyote. And yes, hitting one with your car counted.
