T.I.G.E.R.S. – encounters with wild animals are becoming more common

Hello animal lovers, even though T.I.G.E.R.S. is closed for the season, we still like to keep you informed about issues and topics about the animal world.

Everyone has heard that if you encounter a bear in the wild that you should freeze and play dead, but, what should you do if you have a face-to-face meeting with a mountain lion, does the same strategy still work? The answer might surprise you.

As humans have migrated out of the urban areas and into the suburbs, and now rural areas, encounters with wild animals are becoming common.

No doubt you’ve heard the stories or have seen the video on television or Youtube of deer sprinting through residential neighborhoods, or bears foraging through trash cans outside homes, but now, reports of mountain lions attacking humans is becoming more and more common.

So, just what should you do if you should be out jogging on a wooded trail or hiking in the foothills and happen to meet up with a mountain lion?

According to Richard Cross, a professor at the University of California, Davis and an expert on such things, evidence suggests that freezing might cause the cat to think that you’re helpless and cause it to attack. After studying 185 attacks during the 20^th century, it appears that the best strategy is to slowly move away. Of the people who ran, half escaped injury but a higher percentage of those who ran died from injuries when the lion caught them.

Ultimately, avoidance is the best strategy, but if you are in a mountainous area, staying alert, making noise and being aware of your surroundings is the best bet.

To learn more about animal and human interaction, visit our website. Better yet, make plans to come and visit us at T.I.G.E.R.S. next spring in Myrtle Beach.