Kyle Burgess had an unexpected standoff with a cougar and the 6-minute frightening video has gone viral, but the video also shows what to do when encountering a mountain lion.
Kyle Burgess was out on a run through Slate Canyon near Provo on Saturday when he came upon a cougar cub, he told KUTV. Minutes later, a larger cougar appeared and began stalking him.
“I was like, ‘Oh. That’s mom right there. I’m screwed,'” Burgess told KUTV.
The video shows the cougar continuing to follow Burgess as he tries to retreat, occasionally charging toward Burgess.
“Go get your babies. Go away,” Burgess said in the video. “This is scary. My heart is racing.”
But rather than running, Burgess walks away while yelling at the cougar to back off. Burgess eventually threw a rock at the cougar and the animal ran away.
(Language warning)
Burgess followed many of the steps suggested by the National Forest Service. If a cougar is behaving aggressively towards you, wave your arms slowly and speak with a loud, yet firm voice. Try throwing objects like a water bottle, sticks or rocks to scare the animal away.
It is very important to appear dangerous to the cougar and not like prey! The National Parks Service advises that you should never crouch down or bend over as this could resemble a four-legged prey. You should make eye contact and face the animal while standing. If you have small children, pick them up without bending over and make sure children never run way from the animal.
Running away from the animal may cause the mountain lion’s instinct to chase to become activated, the National Parks Service says. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation, but you have to give them a way to escape as well.