Intense wildlife encounter from Northern California where a trail runner was stopped in his tracks after coming across a pair of mountain lions smack dab in the middle of the trail.
Once a busy mercury mining site for over 135 years, Almaden Quicksilver County Park now encompasses 4,163 acres adjacent to south San Jose, California and includes over 37 miles of hiking trails. Popular with mountain bikers, horseback riders and runners, the park is open year round from sunrise to sundown and supports a diverse array of wildlife across its oak woodlands, chaparral, and riparian habitats. Wildlife includes mule deer, wild turkeys, wild boars and clearly evident from the video below, mountain lions.
Thankfully these mountain lions showed curiosity and not aggression when confronted with the trail runner and took off in the opposite direction after a brief standoff.
Mountain lions are native to California and have the largest range of any carnivore in North America with a range extending from the Canadian Yukon to southern Chile. They inhabit diverse habitat types throughout California including forests and foothills, coastal, rural, and wildlife-urban interfaces. They are reclusive and solitary animals who mostly avoid people when possible. Learn more about how to stay safe in mountain lion country from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife below.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Mountain Lion Safety Guidelines:
Mountain lions typically pose little threat to humans, and generally avoid any human interaction. A person is one thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion. People who live in mountain lion habitat can take precautions to reduce their risk of encountering a mountain lion.
- Do NOT hike, bike, or jog at dawn, dusk, or at night. Avoid hiking, biking, or jogging alone.
- Deer-proof your property to avoid attracting a lion’s main food source.
- Remove dense vegetation from around the home to reduce hiding spaces.
- Install outdoor lighting to make it difficult for mountain lions to approach unseen.
- Secure livestock and outdoor large pets in sturdy, covered shelters at night.
If You Encounter a Mountain Lion
- Stay alert on trails. Keep pets leashed and walk with small children, don’t let them run ahead.
- Never approach a mountain lion. Give them an escape route.
- DO NOT RUN. Stay calm. Do not turn your back.
- Face the animal, make loud noise and try to look bigger. If with small children, put them on your shoulders.
- Do not crouch down or bend over.
Few sightings result in a mountain lion being identified as an imminent threat to public safety. Most reports are resolved by providing species information and technical assistance. Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. Since 1890, there have been less than 50 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California, including six fatal incidents. In most cases the person was lone when the attacked occurred.
