The cat dialed back pressure through its crushing jaws, and the friend was able to pull away, fellow cyclists said in an interview one month after the incident east of Seattle.

A group of Seattle-area cyclists who helped one of their own escape the jaws of a cougar recounted their story this weekend, saying they fought the cat and pinned it down.

The woman who was attacked, Keri Bergere, sustained neck and face injuries and was treated at a hospital and released following the Feb. 17 incident on a trail northeast of Fall City, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement.

Bergere said she spent five days at an area hospital and was still recovering.

Fish and Wildlife Lt. Erik Olson called the actions of her fellow cyclists “heroic” in the statement. But the extent of the cyclists’ battle with the 75-pound cat wasn’t immediately clear then.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m sorry, this is just fearmongering based on a rare event-

    A total of 126 attacks, 27 of which were fatal,[1] have been documented in North America in the past 100 years. Fatal cougar attacks are extremely rare and occur much less frequently than fatal snake bites, fatal lightning strikes, or fatal bee stings.[2][3][4] Children are particularly vulnerable.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America

    Bears, wolves and cougars are, generally, not dangerous to humans.

    Even the article linked to calls it rare.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        This cannot be a fact:

        Big cats tho?

        It’s very easy for them to consider humans food.

        If this is a fact:

        A total of 126 attacks, 27 of which were fatal,[1] have been documented in North America in the past 100 years.

    • bhmnscmm@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      These animals aren’t dangerous until they are. In the wild, you don’t know if you’re encountering an injured or desperate animal. My main issue with OPs comment is the terrible advice on what to do when encounting one of these predators.

      Also, how was the mountain lion population in the US doing until recently? Extermination of wild populations is a major reason why incidents in the past are so rare.