A nightmare for mountain bikers played out in California.
Two bicyclists in Orange County, California were riding along a trail in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park when they came face to face with a mountain lion. Mountain bikers meet mountain lion on a mountain… I guess it all checks out? The mountain cyclists were shocked to see the big cat, and even more surprised when the animal started stalking them as they tried to get a safe distance away.
Video that was captured on Monday of this past week by one of the mountain bikers shows the cougar jumping out of the bushes and walking along after them. The two people just trying to get some exercise in the great outdoors really got their hearts pumping when the mountain lion wouldn’t leave them alone, and followed their each and every move.
This was all while the two mountain bikers screamed and shouted in an attempt to scare away the big cat. One of the trail biker’s screams morphed into a prayer at one point, asking the Good Lord upstairs to protect them as they stood off with this predator out in the wild:
“No! Go away, kitty! Bring your angels to surround us, Lord, and protect us in Jesus’ name.”
Their prayer was actually cut short by the animal as it lunged and charged at the two bikers that were slowly walking away. The pair was certainly hoping for the best, but fearing for the worst as the cougar showed no signs of letting up. That is until, all of the sudden, the mountain lion darted off into the brush and down the mountain.
Other than some almost-heart-attacks, no one was reported injured during this incident. Despite the animal charging multiple times, the mountain bikers were able to keep a safe distance away from the big cat. And they caught the entire experience on camera:
Wow… that’s incredibly frightening, and it’s very fortunate that the two mountain bikers were not hurt.
Just to be safe, the Orange County Parks Department decided to shut down Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park where this scary encounter took place. The OC Parks didn’t say if they were doing so to remove the mountain lion through wildlife safety enforcement measures or if they were just hoping that the mountain lion would leave under its own power:
“Out of an abundance of caution, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be closed until further notice due to recent mountain lion activity. OC Parks staff are working with California Department of Fish and Wildlife and UC Davis Wildlife Health Center biologists who are investigating.”
It’s unclear whether or not the popular wilderness area has opened back up yet. That statement went out on Wednesday, and no further updates have been provided.
And let this be a lesson for all of us: if you don’t ride a bicycle outside, you can’t get attacked by a mountain lion. In fact, if you don’t exercise at all, and let’s just say, sit on your couch and eat potato chips, your chances of being attacked by a big cat drop to almost ZERO.
