This article was definitely an eye opening and life threatening experience for a mother of two children that encountered a 1-year-old, 60-pound male cougar. Just the typical of being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Hiking can be fun, healthy and it could be a hell of a work out but just be safe, do some research about whether or not you should go hiking on a particular day.
A 35 year old, Madison Smith, unknowingly brought her two children hiking on a Sunday, along a stretch of trail near Foothill Ranch Elementary School where they were being stalked as a prey of a mountain lion near some high-end bushes. After quietly stalking its lunch, the cougar came out of the bushes and scared the mother and two children. Ms. Smith carefully peeled off her backpack and her sons' as well. She cautiously tried to make a call to 911 but failed. Each time her son, Jackson, tried to walk slowly towards his mother, the cougar moved into a crouching position, bares its teeth and seems ready to pounce on him at any given moment.
Several people helped;25 bikers and hikers. They all tried to make loud noises, wave their arms and hands, to scare off or distract the cougar but they unsuccessful. After some time a warden arrived and killed the mountain lion. Later the body was taken to the lab in San Bernardino for an autopsy,
This article has really opened my eyes up to all sorts of security issues when exploring the outdoors. One thing that was going over my head, over and over again was; be prepared, be ready, and be cautious. On hiking trips, I should really think about how heavy my pack should be, how cautious I should be about my surroundings, what proper gear to bring and where the hiking trips are to know its history and past accidents (if they even have any). It's always good to double check the all security issues before hiking.
Excellent
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