Making the rounds on the internet once again.
For my money, mountain lions are some of the most terrifying creatures in the United States. Sure we have sharks and bears and snakes, all capable of some serious damage, but these big cats just seem to have an eerie personality that screams “I’ll kill you and I’ll enjoy it.” Maybe it’s just me that feels that way, but this video might change your mind.
Also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers, depending on where you are located, mountain lions are one of the most widespread and adaptable big cats in the Americas. Their range stretches from the Yukon, up in northern Canada, all the way down through the western United States into the southern Andes in South America. A small population can be found in Florida, commonly known as Florida panthers.
Adult males can weigh between 100 and 180 pounds, with females generally smaller. Their lean, muscular bodies, long tails, and powerful hind legs make them exceptional hunters capable of sprinting and leaping great distances. These solitary and elusive cats are an apex predator in many North American ecosystems, hunting deer, elk, and smaller mammals like raccoons and rabbits. They’re ambush predators, using stealth and cover to stalk their prey in close before making a quick and lethal pounce. Despite their ferocious nature, mountain lions will usually avoid human contact whenever possible, and attacks are very rare.
Although cougars are primarily nocturnal, and it’s rather uncommon to run into one, encounters with mountain lions can be extremely terrifying. This Alberta, Canada, family learned that firsthand when one attacked their barn cat, Oreo, and then showed up at the back door looking for more… still painted red with Oreo’s blood.
While the incident occurred last fall, the disturbing footage was shared once again via the popular wildlife account Nature Is Metal, saying that the video is finding a new audience and going viral once more.
But please be warned, it’s a pretty gnarly video… not for the faint of heart:
Is that not terrifying? You can feel the panic in the mom’s voice as she tries to make sense of that she is watching. And of course, you have the young daughter witnessing the carnage as well.. it’s just a brutal reminder how absolutely savage nature can be. And at the top of the blog, I mentioned the eerie personality and demeanor of these danger kitties… I mean, what kind of twisted individual murders a family pet and then shows up at the house to… taunt the family? One that doesn’t play by our human rules of conduct. Nope, for the cougar, it’s kill to eat, eat to live… and then kill again. These big cats are equal parts awe-inspiring and terrifying… majestic beasts.
According to reports from the incident, officials from Alberta Fish and Wildlife went to the house, and reportedly told the homeowners that this kind of behavior from a mountain lion is rather unusual, but it’s possible the cat saw its own reflection in the door:
“They said it’s a young cougar — probably 18 months-ish based on size and some markings on its fur and that it was probably just after the barn cat. But it is a weird time of day for it to be out, so they kind of just told us to keep an eye on things and be safe.”
Not exactly comforting…
“It was banging its head on the window… I felt like I just stopped shaking. I was up the rest of the night, couldn’t sleep. It was terrifying. It just makes me more scared that this is an aggressive cat.”
Alberta Fish and Wildlife investigated the incident and reported that the cougar was no longer in that area and had moved on, but once again, not exactly a comforting feelings knowing it is still out there somewhere.
