Strange sightings of an apex predator displaying unusual behavior have prompted local officials to temporarily close an Orange County, California, park.
What's happening?
The Los Angeles Times reported that the move came after reports of visitors experiencing unnerving encounters with a mountain lion at the Whiting Wilderness Ranch. In one instance, a pair of cyclists captured footage of a mountain lion stalking them along a cliffside trail. Officials who reviewed the video were baffled by the uncharacteristic nature of the encounter.
Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Cort Klopping said, per the Times: "This is super out-of-the-ordinary behavior. Pumas typically avoid people — to the point where a person is a thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion."
Biologists from the University of California, Davis, theorized the cougar was acting out of curiosity rather than malice. Cameras will be installed along the trail to monitor developments ahead of the park's eventual reopening.
Why are mountain lion encounters concerning?
Catamount, cougar, mountain lion, panther, puma — they're all different names for the same animals. Mountain lions have one of the widest ranges of any mammal; you're as likely to see one in British Columbia, Canada, as you are in the mountains of southern Chile. They are a hugely important species, but like so many other predators, they are facing threats from habitat destruction and disruption to their food supply.
As California experiences ever-more droughts and destructive wildfires driven by the pollution from human activity, cougars are forced to venture closer to human settlements in search of food. They are very unlikely to attack people, but the likelihood of human-animal conflict naturally increases when they are in closer proximity.
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What can be done to mitigate the risk of an attack?
The risk of a mountain lion attack is very low but not zero. They are elusive predators that usually abscond at the first sign of humans, and with sensible precautions, the already small risk can be reduced even further. One is to avoid going out alone in areas with confirmed puma sightings, especially at dawn and dusk.
Another tip to share with family and friends is what to do in the unlikely event of a mountain lion encounter: keep your distance, stay big, get loud, and don't turn your back on them. Keep pets leashed and always leave an escape route for the animal.
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