The cougar (
Puma concolor, aka mountain lion, panther, and puma) once roamed across most of the United States, but human persecution has now almost completely eradicated the species from all areas but the western areas of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The only eastern U.S. state with a known breeding population is Florida. There are sporadic reports of cougar sightings in the central and eastern United States, but these reports are rarely confirmed. Experts suspect that some of the more credible reports may be sightings of escaped "pet" cougars.
Cougars are ambush predators, which means they depend upon stealth and the element of surprise to capture their prey—primarily deer and elk, the occasional porcupine or moose, or at times such smaller species as raccoons, rabbits, beaver, or even mice.
Cougars are most active at dawn and dusk. Solitary by nature (except in the case of mothers with kittens) they tend to avoid human contact. This is especially true of adult cougars; it's usually inexperienced, juvenile cougars who are implicated in aggressive encounters with humans.
Keeping Safe at Home
If you live in or near cougar habitat, you should take precautions to avoid inadvertently attracting these felines. Most people aren’t aware that areas around human habitation often contain elements that may tempt this otherwise shy animal into close proximity with humans. Making a few changes to your landscape and your behavior can significantly reduce your chances of drawing in unwanted wild visitors—not only cougars but also bears, coyotes, and wolves.
- Trim vegetation immediately surrounding the house to avoid providing cover for cougars. This doesn’t mean that your yard should be completely barren, but it shouldn't include underbrush that would allow a cougar to hide undetected. (Remember, cougars do not hunt out in the open.)
- Install motion sensor lighting in areas that you may frequent in the evenings and at night.
- If you feed your pets outside, never leave food bowls out overnight.
- Keep pets and livestock indoors or safely kenneled from dusk until dawn.
- Do not leave pets or children unattended outside at any time in cougar habitat.
- Do not feed deer. They are a primary prey species and may attract cougars.
- Deer-proof your garden—this may include installing fencing.
- Fence your livestock to keep it contained.
- Store trash in sanitary, well-secured containers. Clean trash cans to avoid attracting potential prey species.
- Do not compost meat scraps or other foods that would attract cougars or their prey.
Avoiding Attacks
While you may not live in or near cougar habitat, you may enter it when hiking, camping, cycling, or otherwise enjoying the great outdoors. The chances of being attacked by a cougar are about 25 million to 1, but it’s still sensible to take these simple preventative actions to avoid cougar encounters.
- Most aggressive cougar encounters occur with children present. Therefore, if walking with children, be sure to keep them in front of you (where you can see them) and in close proximity.
- Avoid traveling alone in cougar habitat, especially if hiking or cycling.
- Make noise, so that you don’t catch a cougar unawares. If a cougar is alerted to your presence, it will usually take steps to avoid an encounter.
- Never approach wildlife carcasses. They may be a cougar cache, and the cat could be nearby.
- When camping, store food in animal proof containers or double-bagged in heavy-weight plastic bags at least 100 meters from where you sleep.
- Never approach a cougar of any size, even a kitten (it is unlikely the mother will stay away for very long).
If You Are Face-to-Face with a Cougar
In the unlikely event that you do encounter a cougar, behave in a way that will convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential predator—or at least a formidable adversary. Potentially aggressive cougars have been driven away by people who make a ruckus and fight back. Here are steps to take to avoid a dangerous interaction:
- Maintain eye contact at all times.
- NEVER turn your back, run, act submissive, or play dead.
- Pick up children without bending over or looking away.
- Speak loudly and firmly, but not hysterically.
- Throw rocks and sticks.
- Use pepper spray.
- If the cougar attacks, FIGHT while yelling and maintaining your footing.
