A few years ago I was walking along the roadway inside the Catalina State Park. It was in late summer around 6:30 pm so there weren't many people, maybe a byciclist or two, and the rangers had gone for the evening.I had neared the end of my walk and could see the rangers station ahead when a cluster of quail burst from the bushes beside me. I laughed and carried on, hoping no one had witnessed my dance of terror, when another sound came from the bush.
Figuring it was a straggling quail, I searched for the validation of a little pear shaped body. As my eyes focused I realized I was face to face with a mountain lion. Ok, not literally, but we can all agree any distance under 10 feet with a cat of that size, and "face to face" is a fair description. He startled and froze with a posture that told me he hadn't been expecting me either.
Surprisingly, I remained calm and the instinct to run never possessed me. When I realized we had been staring into each others eyes for what seemed long enough to be disrespectful, I looked away praying he didn't view me as a threat (or a meal). I reached into my pocket, dialed 911, and informed the operator where I was, that I was alone and was possibly going to need help. They remained on the phone with me as I walked past him, now with my back towards him. The hairs on my neck stiffened and I prepared myself that if he were to attack, it would have been that moment. I walked steady to the park exit and safely out of danger.
I recently spoke with Ranger Steve Haas, from the Catalina State Park, on some tips if you do come across a mountain lion.
"Do not run. That's a big one. Do not crouch down, maintain eye contact, make noise. Try to get as big as you can, wave your arms, hold open your coat. Throw rocks and sticks. Fight back if need be."
Ranger Haas also warns that this reaction when coming across a mountain lion is much different then the reaction you should have with a bear. However, he assured me that he has only ever heard of one bear coming down this low from the Catalina's in the last twenty years.
The respect I have for mountain lions and nature in general is what I'd believed protected me that summer evening. However, knowing now how to protect yourself in that situation, it seems it was less about respect and more about luck. Do you have any stories about a spectacular experience with Oro Valley's wildlife? Please share!
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3 comments:
Our experiences haven't been of the heart-pounding kind, but they've been spectacular just the same. In the winter of 2010 we had a bobcat that slept outside our front door every night. One night, when we opened the door, she walked right up to us and looked inside the living room and was prepared to come inside! We were so tempted to let her in! What a beauty!
In the fall of 2013, we had four owls in our backyard. Every night around dusk we would watch them as they flew from tree to tree and we would admire their gorgeous wingspans.
That's awesome! We've seen our share of bobcats too. Even a mama and her four babies she brought right up to our living room window like she was showing them off. Thanks for sharing Victorian Cowgirl!
It seems like the bobcats love Oro Valley. About a year ago two teenagers who help our irrigation specialist were checking our irrigation system and heard a slight growl. One guy looked at the other and asked if we had any pets? At that moment mama bobcat and her two cubs flew out of our bushes and went one way and the two teenagers went the other way. It was hard to tell who was more scared! Civilization doesn't stop wildlife from living where they want.
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