Kyle Burgess of Orem was trail running in Slate Canyon when he encountered four mountain lion cubs.
As he began recording this video, he quickly found himself face-to-face with the cubs’ mother. The cougar came after Burgess, and he tried to shout at the cougar so it would stop following him.
“A lot of us go hiking not really thinking that’s gonna happen to us, like, not thinking you’re gonna see a bear, not that you’re gonna see a cougar. So for it to actually happen and to see it come towards me is a very, just, big jumbled mess of emotions. Especially just kinda like, oh crap, what’s gonna happen, right?” says Kyle Burgess.
The cat followed Burgess for more than six minutes. During that time, Burgess didn’t turn and run; he yelled and eventually threw a rock at the cougar, and it ran away.
Burgess says, “It’s really just staying calm, really, is what kept me good. I was staying calm, not making super drastic decisions super quickly. Cause I think if I were to make any fast decisions, I think it would’ve ended a different way.”
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has tips on their website for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
