"Cougars can co-exist with humans but
can humans live with cougars?"
-Gary Koehler, Senior Scientist, Project CAT
| If you are living in or near cougar habitat... 1. Keep your pets indoors, or in kennels at night. Never leave pet food or scraps outside! 2. If you have farm animals, bring them into barns or enclosed sheds at night. 3. Light your walkways and remove any heavy vegetation or landscaping near the house. 4. Enclose any open crawl spaces under the house. 5. Closely supervise children playing outdoors. It is a good idea to have them indoors by dusk, when cougars are most active. 6. Store garbage in secure containers so the odors won't attract small animals or other wildlife, which in turn could attract cougars. 7. However wonderful it is to feed the wildlife and attract them to your property for easy viewing, don't. Predators follow prey. DON'T FEED WILDLIFE! 8. Store garbage in secure containers so the odors won't attract small animals or other wildlife, which in turn could attract cougars. |  |
If you plan on some good ol' recreation in cougar habitat...
1. Always hike in small groups and make plenty of noise, that way you'll avoid surprising cougar.
2. Keep your camp clean, and store garbage in secure containers or at least in doubled plastic bags.
3. Keep small children close, where you can at least see them when hiking.
4. Do not approach dead animals, it could be a kill site (left over cougar prey to be eaten later).
1. Always hike in small groups and make plenty of noise, that way you'll avoid surprising cougar.
2. Keep your camp clean, and store garbage in secure containers or at least in doubled plastic bags.
3. Keep small children close, where you can at least see them when hiking.
4. Do not approach dead animals, it could be a kill site (left over cougar prey to be eaten later).
The big one...If you encounter a cougar...
1. Stand tall, and don't run. Pick up small children.
2. Do not approach the animal, especially if it is near a kill site or has kittens.
3. Try to appear larger than the cougar, and never take your eyes off of it, or turn your back. Don't try to crouch or hide.
4. If the animal is acting aggressive, wave your arms, yell or throw rocks at it. Basically, you should try to show the cougar you are not prey, but a potential danger.
5. If the cougar does attack, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back.
6. Again, DON'T RUN. A cougar's instinct it to chase.
1. Stand tall, and don't run. Pick up small children.
2. Do not approach the animal, especially if it is near a kill site or has kittens.
3. Try to appear larger than the cougar, and never take your eyes off of it, or turn your back. Don't try to crouch or hide.
4. If the animal is acting aggressive, wave your arms, yell or throw rocks at it. Basically, you should try to show the cougar you are not prey, but a potential danger.
5. If the cougar does attack, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back.
6. Again, DON'T RUN. A cougar's instinct it to chase.