Big fright for a hiker who was walking near the city of Ojai, California, in the United States. On July 3, Courtney Rasura came face to face with a puma, a meeting that is both extraordinary and terrifying that she was able to film. The video, relayed on Instagram, shows the animal slowly approaching the American while it desperately tries to repel it.
On the images, we can see the Puma arise about twenty meters while Courtney walks on the way. Throughout the sequence, the hiker repeats “no” or “go”, hoping to scare it away. First, the tactics seem to work: the feline leaves the way to join the brush. “I was really hoping that my cries would make him go, which was the case. But after entering a bush, he returned to the trail, “said the hiker at the Edhat Santa Barbara site.
When the animal returns, it is even closer. “No, no, no! “She says, while the Puma approaches a few meters. Finally, perhaps intimidated, it climbs the hill and disappears without coming back. The hiker could finally blow, her composure had paid. “I have been going back to Ojai for over fifteen years and I had never met Puma. It was both incredible and terrifying, ”she said.
Groly attacks
According to the National Park Service, Puma is an essential species in the Ojai region. “These magnificent animals can run up to 80 km/h and jump up to 5.5 meters in a single leap, making it one of the fastest and most agile terrestrial animals in North America,” explains the site. But according to the park, the feline avoids contacts with humans and attacks are extremely rare: “It is more likely to be struck by lightning than being attacked by a puma,” he said.
However, the National Park Service recognizes that the interactions between walkers and the Puma are more frequent. He recalls that in the event of a meeting with the animal, you should neither run, crouch or look nor approach. “Do everything to appear intimidating: raise your arms, open your jacket if you wear one, wave them slowly and talk loudly,” he recommends. Gestures that the hike has, fortunately, adopted at the right time.
