On Feb. 19, a mountain lion attacked five bikers on a trail in Washington state. The attack left one woman, age 60, in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the young mountain lion shot and killed.
While attacks such as this are extremely rare — it is 1,000 times more likely that someone will be struck by lightning than be attacked by a puma — they often garner national attention. These encounters can also spark larger conversations about how mountain lions and humans coexist. Mountain lions face significant threats in California, and researchers say that awareness of these key species and their behavior can help keep the mountain lions and outdoor recreationists safe.
Since 1986, 22 people have been verifiably attacked by mountain lions in California, and three of them died, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The vast majority of the attacks took place in parks or outdoor recreation areas.
Mountain lions are timid creatures easily scared off by noise and lights. They are especially fearful of people and will often avoid them whenever possible. However, as urban sprawl moves people further and further into mountain lion habitats, encounters can occur more frequently.
“As communities expand into wildland areas, increasingly reported interactions between people and mountain lions has resulted in increased calls for assistance from the public,” states the California Fish and Wildlife Department in a statement on human-mountain lion conflict. The department says this encroachment into wildland spaces “can lead to potential conflict due to increased attractants and competition for resources.”
Human sprawl into mountain lion habitats creates several problems — for both cats and people. Researchers say one of the biggest threats to mountain lions in California right now is road collisions.
Scientists at the University of California, Davis’s Road Ecology Center have estimated that 70 mountain lions die each year due to collisions on California highways. Last year, the Oakland Zoo took in two puma cubs that had been orphaned after their mother was hit on a California road.
Depredation permits are another significant threat. They allow property owners to kill some types of animals on their property to protect livestock, crops, or pets. Most dangerous mountain lion encounters occur because the animal is going after livestock or a pet, often in rural areas with inadequate fencing or other deterrents. These attacks can be frustrating for both the owner of the livestock and puma advocates.
“There are many, many tools that we can put in place to avoid depredations,” said Fernando Najera, co-director of the California Mountain Lion Project at UC Davis.
The California Fish and Wildlife Department tries to avoid issuing depredation permits whenever possible. To increase education and reduce mountain lion mortality, the department recommends several preemptive alternatives: removing carcasses of departed animals; installing, replacing, and maintaining exclusion fencing; implementing better husbandry practices; using temporary deterrent systems; having livestock protection dogs, capturing and monitoring certain mountain lions, and more.
Mountain lion researchers and advocates across the state have been working to create more wildlife crossings and strategic fencing to reduce the frequency of puma mortalities caused by both collisions and depredation permits. Recently, the Alameda County Resource Conservation District received a $7 million grant from the Wildlife Resource Conservation Board to research potential wildlife crossings on key highways.
The California Mountain Lion Project is also working to study mountain lions and track the location, health, and habitat of these animals. Since 2022, the group has been using GPS collar data to calculate California’s entire mountain lion population. While initial numbers were reported in January of this year, Najera said that the research is ongoing and requires further review and study before official estimations can be released.
The actions and research of mountain lion advocates, experts, and local governments can not only be beneficial to mountain lion populations but also to the health of our ecosystems overall.
“It’s that simple: living with mountain lions is actually healthier than living without them,” said Mark Elbroch, a Washington-based ecologist and director of Panthera’s Puma Program.
Mountain lions are a keystone species, which means their health and presence have a significant impact on their surrounding ecosystem. What’s more, pumas are known as “ecosystem engineers,” animals that create or modify habitats and encourage biodiversity. Mountain lions help keep deer and elk populations low, which helps protect waterways from overgrazing. They also prove carrion which is a food source for numerous species within an ecosystem. Once a carcass left by a mountain lion is broken down by scavengers and bugs, it then decomposes, providing nutrients for plants and enriching soils.
Elbroch said that he understands that people don’t often think about mountain lions until they hear about an encounter or a sighting in the news.
“I wish everybody thought about mountain lions all the time,” said Elbroch.“I wish they knew about their ecological contributions to biodiversity and ecological resilience and how important they are, but that’s not the America that we live in.”
Elbroch does say, however, that in his personal experience, he has seen the direct benefits of education in helping people coexist more peacefully with mountain lions. He said that resources and programs focused on avoiding conflict between humans and mountain lions and educating people on how to keep their animals safe, help reduce fear and misunderstanding around mountain lions.
Hanging out in a mountain lion’s home
The Oakland and Berkeley hills have seen their fair share of mountain lion sightings. In 2015, ecologists tracked a cluster of nine mountain lions roaming the hills within The East Bay Regional Park District. The district also boasts a variety of hiking and mountain biking trails across its 125,000 acres of parklands.
Most people will never see a mountain lion on their daily hike or bike through the hills. However, mountain lion researchers emphasize the importance of being aware of mountain lion behavior or pattern to avoid any unlikely encounters.
Mountain bikers and parkgoers alike should be knowledgeable about the appropriate response should they encounter a mountain lion. Recreationalists should avoid hiking at dawn and dusk when mountain lions are most active. Additionally, people should avoid jogging, biking, or running alone when possible, keep pets on-leash, and keep children close by.
If an encounter does occur, experts advise that you keep your eyes on the cat, never turn your back on it, and do not run. Running away from the animals will further cause the animal to categorize you as prey. Maintain eye contact and clap your hands or make loud noises to scare off the animal. You can also throw rocks or gear to alarm the puma.
If you’re on a bike and you notice a puma following you, Elbroch advises turning around to bike towards the animal and again making as much noise as possible to scare it.
In the case of the attack on Washington, Elbroch said that there is a variety of speculation as to why this young puma, who was less than a year old, attacked. The most likely scenario is that the cub was without an adult cat and became fixated on the mountain biker.
“I think that’s what this was, you have a young animal, totally inexperienced, trying out hunting, triggered for some reason, was more like curious watching cat behavior, hunting behavior, and then just like, went for it, right,” said Elbroch.
While this type of attack is extremely unlikely, Elbroch said that the group of mountain bikers did all the right things. The group of bikers fought the mountain lion and distracted it by kicking and punching the cub. Mountain lions can become “locked” or fixated on potential prey.
If a mountain lion is to attack, said Elbroch, do whatever you can to distract the animal. Kicking, punching, and throwing rocks are the best solutions. Additionally, if you’re alone, Erbroch encourages you to “fight, fight, fight” to get the animal off you and understand that you’re a threat.
