I couldn’t imagine hiking out in the woods, casually minding your business while walking down a trail, and coming face to face with a mountain lion.
Now, I know mountain lions typically will run off whenever they get close to a human, and even seeing one int he wild is pretty rare, but it’s very possible that the creature could attack at any moment if it feels threatened enough.
Mountain lions are one incredible kitty cat though terrifying to encounter in the wild? Yes, but amazing nonetheless. Fierce and skillful predators, stalking their prey and attacking with speed and accuracy. They don’t have many natural predators, and can be very territorial, meaning they need a lot of space. A mountain lion usually requires about 13 times as much area as a black bear or 40 times as much area as a bobcat to thrive.
Since the 1800s expansion, hunting, and farmers protecting livestock significantly decreased the mountain lion population however, conservation efforts have mostly stabilized the population in the Western United States.
Males generally weigh between 120 and 220 pounds, while and females weigh between 65 and 140 pounds, but their biggest advantage is their ability to climb trees and jump. Which is why hunters will use a pack of dogs to tree a cougar for an easy shot.
Not this kitty though, he wasn’t afraid of no dog.
And the dog wasn’t afraid of him either…
The scene all went down in British Columbia, Canada, as it appears the guy is out walking with his black lab, Timber, through the woods when the two stumble across the mountain lion.
First off, I wanna say the most impressive part is the fact that the dog isn’t afraid of the mountain lion at all. Maybe it’s stupidity, maybe he’s trying to protect his owner from an attack, but it would’ve been all over in a hurry if that kitty wanted to attack.
As you can see, Timber continuously barks at the creature, and gets within less than a foot of it. It’s pretty cool to watch how loyal the dog is to its owner, and wasn’t going to let the creature get close to him.
And perhaps the second craziest part is the fact that the mountain lion never runs off… just a good old fashioned staredown.
Even when the owner screams at it multiple times, the mountain lion gets closer and closer, and even snarls at the dog.
Luckily enough, nobody was injured during this altercation, and dare I say, cooler heads prevailed? But it could’ve ended much, MUCH worse.
Check it out:
Tiny Dog Won’t Back Down From Large Mountain
Que Tom Petty singing, “I won’t back down.”
What a standoff.
Mountain lions ain’t nothing to mess with. They are elusive predators, that are one of the best and fastest killers in North America. They strike quick, quiet, and hard, going straight for the kill zone. Cougars are trained hunters, they know what they are doing.
Most animals’ lives consist of finding food so they can get the chance to mate when the time comes.
It just so happens mountain lions almost only exclusively hunt. The old saying goes “where there’s deer, there’s cougars.” They follow the food source.
They can weigh up to 175-pounds. They eat anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds of meat in a day…
Yup, they have to kill a lot of animals to be able to survive.
So, it comes as no surprise with ongoing urban sprawl and the constant development from humans that there are an increasing number of encounters, especially in areas with homes.
Of course, a killer like this would be attracted to an area with lots of pets tied up in the backyard for the taking. Dinner on a leash. I wish I could have a hunt that easy.
This video shows a mountain lion outside someone’s home with their small dog standing in the window in an intense stare off.
The mountain lion with a killer look in its eyes moves in so close only the glass is between them as the dog and lion stand face-to-face.
The lion even touches the glasses to understand why it can’t just snag the dog as the owner begins to panic.
The little dog doesn’t flinch as the cougar goes back and forth before deciding to take off.
I guess the little lad could be a guard dog…
It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, its about the size of the fight in the dog.
