HUMBOLDT REDWOODS STATE PARK, Calif. (KRON) — There have been a lot of stories in the news this week about close encounters with mountain lions, California’s big cat.
There was the cougar filmed in Pacifica, Calif., in San Pedro Valley Park by Jimmy Wierzba. He told KRON4, “This is not the norm, but they seem to be everywhere now in this seaside town.”
Then there were the three adorable cougar cubs who were rescued from the Zogg wildfire and are being cared for at the Oakland Zoo’s veterinary center.
The most viral video came out of Utah when a mad mother mountain lion charged at a jogger until she was sure he would leave her four cubs alone. Kyle Burgess said he thought the cubs were bobcats until their mother showed up. The cougar followed Burgess for six minutes as he walked backwards, yelled, and eventually threw a rock.
One California state park employee’s commentary on the viral Utah video is both informative and hilarious. John “Griff” Griffith works as a naturalist and conservationist in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. He wanted people who saw the video to know that the cougar was not stalking or hunting the jogger, but rather, escorting him away.
“Mountain lions are stealth hunters. They ambush their prey. If she was stalking him he wouldn’t know it till shortly before she pounced on him. She was escorting him away from her babies. Wolves do the same thing if you get to close to their den,” he said.
Griffith also talked about the importance mountain lions have an predators to keep ecosystems in balance. Watch his hilarious and information commentary in the video player above.
The viral Utah video can be viewed below. (DISCLAIMER: Video below includes strong language)