Posted on 03/17/2024 1:26:43 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
Five competitive cyclists – women in their 50s and 60s – met at the Tokul Creek trail north of Snoqualmie.
At the yellow gate before riding into the deep forest, the women took a group selfie. They had no premonition that 19 miles in, a young male cougar would attack one of them, and that they’d spend 45 minutes in a battle for their lives.
The first cougar, presumably the mother or a sibling, ran off. But the younger one paused … and then lunged at Keri Bergere, 60, who was biking a few paces ahead of him.
“Looking to my right, I saw the cougar’s face,” Bergere said. “It was just a split second, and he tackled me off my bike.”
Bergere and the cougar tumbled into a shallow ditch to the side of the trail. The animal sunk his teeth into Bergere’s jaw and pinned her face into the dirt.
“I thought my teeth were coming loose, and I was gonna swallow my teeth,” she said. “I could feel the bones crushing, and I could feel it tearing back.”
The cougar ripped an earring out of her ear, while maintaining a vice grip on her.
“These ladies are not big, and they were killing this cougar,” Bergere said. “They were not going to let it get me.”
Fight, flight, or freeze, they say, and these women fought. One had a two-inch knife and used it to stab the wild cat – to little avail.
Cyclist Annie Bilotta, 64, tried to choke the cat.
(Excerpt) Read more at kuow.org ...
“Pinning the cougar down with a bike was a good move.”
No kidding. That was some good heads-up thinking, wasn’t it? And the one woman tried to bash the cat’s skull with a big rock, but couldn’t do it, especially with her friend in the cat’s jaws.
You have to admire their quick thinking, resourcefulness, use of available tools and tenacity. I DO hope they learn their lesson and some of them are armed the next time they go out.
They are amazing animals...
Mountain lions have the largest hind legs (proportionally) of all the members of the cat family. This makes cougars great jumpers, able to leap from the ground 18 feet up into a tree. Their large hind legs also make them excellent at sprinting for short distances. From a running start, a mountain lion can jump 45 feet in a single leap. It can travel many miles at 10 mph and can reach 50 mph in a sprint.Not much you can do to defend against that.
” That was some good heads-up thinking, wasn’t it? “
It was. They used what they had available.
On occasion I’ve imagined myself in a survival situation and think about what I have with me or on me that could assist me in making a difference in life or death. For instance, in watching a movie with people lost in the wilderness, but near a lake or river, I’m looking at the ditzy-blonde’s dangling earrings and thinking “lady you have a fish hook and lure hanging from your ears! Use that drawstring in your windbreaker jacket to fashion a fishing line and get to work!” LOL!
I know not to go into crevasses there are pumas in the crevasses.
That seems abusive to the cougar especially in such an enlightened blue libtard state
That is so true! Our cat Charlie has to get into EVERY SINGLE ONE that comes into the house, no matter the size.
Thank God those ladies fought that cat. What an amazing story.
“...dying because you’re being eaten alive is a no-go in my book.”
LOL...no kidding. The thing that nightmares are made of.
I’m glad these women were not more seriously injured-but I’m sure I’m not the only one here who knows how to behave in the woods where there are predators-these women are dumb if they don’t know why the attack happened-riding bikes is the main reason...
There are mountain lions in the rural area where I live, too-I’ve lived around them most of my life-lived around bears, too. There has not been an attack on a human by a mountain lion in the wild ever. I live by the woods near the riverbank and walk there often-but not without a can of bear spray and a big walking stick. And if I see mountain lion tracks-or any other predator tracks-even a big dog-I back out of that trail singing and waving my stick and pick another trail.
I never jog, run or ride my bike in the woods-to do so is to say that you are either a prey animal-or even another predator challenging for territory-even liberals should know that, when there are signs at trailheads that say”no biking, running” and have a graphic of a mountain lion-duh! If you want the wild animals to leave you alone, you need to be sensible in the woods. People in my area also know not to leave out trash, and bring pets indoors after dark-there are plenty of deer and small game like rabbits in the woods for predators to eat-they will not bother you if you don’t tempt them with drive-thru food from your yard.
And I quit calling mountain lions “cougar” when the term started being used in the late 90’s for a predatory older woman...
I read a survival article in Popular Science when I was about 14. I still remember some of the tips if you are stranded in your car...
* Kick off the rear view mirror and use it for signaling
* Drain crankcase oil and use it and a tire to make a very smoky fire (and hope you don’t get locked up for crime against Gaia)
* Use the headliner and material in the seats to make makeshift cold-weather clothes to keep you warm
I carry a 3” folder everywhere I go. I’ve been carrying some sort of knife for almost 40 years. I’ve used one for all kinds of tasks, I’ve never had to defend myself with one. So far…
When I can, I legally carry a 9mm. That’s better than a knife.
Actually I carry both.
Well he died, so...
I don’t think you can carry in liberal Washington-but they need to go to training for being in wildlife areas first-if they don’t know enough not to ride a bike there, they are only going to shoot themselves or someone else with a sidearm-just keep them out of the woods, and out of my state, please...
[City and suburban dwellers think they are nothing but cuddly large house cats.
I remember two decades ago when juvenile cat was sitting in a tree in Palo Alto, CA at a local elementary school eyeing all the tasty snacks on the playground. Animal control services came in and decided they couldn’t get the cat out of the tree safely, so they killed it.
You wouldn’t believe all the bed-wetting, teeth-gnashing, and bawling that went on after that. “Why did you have to kill the beautiful cat?” It was unbelievable. These idiots would rather have the cat devour a kid on the playground?
Here’s the story: Palo Alto visit fatal to cougar / Cop shoots cat near schools and residences, May 18, 2004. Almost went years ago to the day!]
For most of history the fear was being killed and eaten by a wild beast, worse if not in that order...
I like this sign at the Joseph D. Grant County Park near San Jose...
Yep. Animals have the natural defenses God gave them. We have no natural defenses because God gave us brains instead. Our defenses are the ones we make and carry. Taking them away is no different than de-clawing a cat. A cruel thing.
“I read a survival article in Popular Science when I was about 14. I still remember some of the tips if you are stranded in your car...
* Kick off the rear view mirror and use it for signaling
* Drain crankcase oil and use it and a tire to make a very smoky fire (and hope you don’t get locked up for crime against Gaia)
* Use the headliner and material in the seats to make makeshift cold-weather clothes to keep you warm”
Now that is my kind of thinking!
Yes-thank you! I was referring to Cali when I mentioned those trailhead signs-you would think people would be smart enough to read either one of those, but I guess not-”signs, signs, everywhere a sign”...
“Not much you can do to defend against that.”
If you know he’s there...somewhere...a short barrelled shotgun is your best best.
If he’s surreptitiously stalking you, then strikes.
You are dead. Period.
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