Imagine finding a wild animal on your daily run; what would you do? Two years ago, a Utah hiker went viral on Reddit after sharing a video of a cougar and her cubs stalking him on his run. The man Kyle Burgess went on a two-mile run on Slate Canyon only for a cougar to interrupt his run with her cubs, causing him to run for his life.
While it's strange that he stayed on the run long enough to make a video, his explanation via YouTube makes sense.
Burgess explained that he thought the mountain lion and her cubs were bobcats because it wasn't his first time seeing those on his trail. He started the recording thinking he'd get a cute video of young bobcats, but on getting closer, he discovered otherwise.
As is the nature of predatory animals, the Cougar charged at Burgess, believing him to be a threat to her cubs. That's when the 26-year-old, per Deseret News, knew he was in trouble and ran for his dear life.
The Cougar wouldn't leave, so Burgess pled (of course, the animal didn't understand any of his sentences), and when that didn't work, he stoned her. That sent her retreating away from the hiker, and he made his way toward safety.
He shared his incredible story via YouTube, and it soon went viral, leading to mixed reactions from the public.
Check out some of them below.
Many commenters believe Burgess got lucky because that's an unlikely situation - surviving close contact with a threatened Mountain Lion. Their outrages came from a place of ignorance because experts applauded him for maintaining his cool in the case.
Burgess was right to bargain with the animal even though it couldn't understand. At that moment, he was loud and remained menacing to the mama Cougar. If he cowered in fear, she'd have gained the advantage and pounced on him to protect her cubs.
Experts also suggested that hikers should go in groups or have a survival kit handy, including bear spray. Also, studying the area you're about to trail is the best preventive measure, as Burgess could've learned that Mountain Lions love Dawn and Dusk.
Once you know the kind of animals residing along your trail and their habit, you can work your way around it. Visit Wild Aware for more tips on surviving Mountain Lions in Utah.
