I had a personal encounter with a mountain lion and I specialized in ecology before moving on to lab science, so I can probably help here. The first thing you should know is that for a lot of people taken there isn’t much chance to react. Like all large cats mountain lions (aka cougars, panthers, catamounts, etc) prefer to take prey by surprise from behind, and a cougar can leap up to 40 feet horizontally. If she gets her jaws on the back of your neck then the fight’s over.
(image from Pinterest)
The best best way to survive an attack is don’t get attacked. Learn where they live, how they hunt, and when they hunt. Although they hunt whenever they feel like it, cougars prefer when visibility is low so avoid running / biking alone in their territory at dawn or dusk. Keep an eye on the ground for tracks in soft soil - you can tell cat prints because they retract their claws, while dog prints leave claw marks in the dirt.
(image from Cloud Peak Wilderness)
If you want to feel safer in mountain lion territory, start with something as simple as wearing a hat with eyes on the back. It sounds dumb but big cats try to avoid attacking from the front. If both sides look like the front, they often leave you alone! That worked to prevent tiger attacks in Bangladesh, but everyone did it and so after a while the tigers figured out the trick.
If you get approached by a mountain lion, DO NOT turn and run! Remember what I said about showing your back…and think about how a house cat acts when the prey takes off. If you can see a mountain lion then she hasn’t decided to attack you yet. This is your chance to convince her not to. Make a lot of noise, throw things (try not to bend over), take off your coat and hold it up to make yourself look bigger. An air horn will freak her out. A camera flash or a powerful flashlight will blind the cat (temporarily!), especially if it’s dark out.
In my case the mountain lion approached me at night. I had seen tracks earlier and I knew this was cougar territory so I carried mace. When I shined a headlamp on her, the cat ducked behind a bush (they have reflective corneas to amplify light [EDIT: the reflective structure is called the tapetum lucidum], so it really hurts to look into a spotlight at night). I stomped up to the bush, making as much noise as I could, and then I sprayed mace all around the bush. After that I walked backwards until I was out of sight, then I turned around and hiked back to my car while singing very loud. Once I was in my car with the door shut, then I had my panic attack!
Now if you actually get attacked and you’re not killed right away, the only answer is to fight back with everything you’ve got. Do you have a knife? Great. Is there a rock? That’ll do. This man beat off an immature lion that attacked carelessly (it gave away its position and then it attacked from the front). I don’t favor your chances with an experienced adult, but on the other hand adults mostly focus on prey they know how to take down: ground squirrels, goats, deer, etc.
Picture Source Wikipedia
Thanks for Reading
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