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INTRODUCTION
Pumas (Puma concolor) attacked and injured nine people in eight
incidents in California since 1985 (plus one fatality not confirmed as a puma
attack). In the previous 96 years, three people were attacked in two
incidents. Five of the 12 people died as a result of the attacks.
Possibly lowering the recent attack rate, 10 pumas were killed in 1994 to
protect public safety. It is likely that many non-fatal attacks were
not reported during earlier years (Beier, 1991). Even so, the increase
to known incidents per year from two incidents in 96 years to eight in
10 years is dramatic. If we consider only fatal attacks, the difference
is nearly as great. There were three fatalities up to 1986, two of
them from one attack in which the people died of rabies or a similar
infection. From 1986 through 1995 there were two fatal attacks. Even
considering the faults in the data, the difference is too great to be
accidental.
A concurrent increase in attacks has occurred throughout the western
United States and Canada, along with a large increase in reports of close
encounters between humans and pumas. The phenomenon is obviously not
an aberration. At the same time, even the current rate of attacks makes
them rare, definitely not a "major public safety concern" if numbers
are an appropriate measure. However, something about even a small chance
of being eaten by a large carnivore wrests the human imagination away
from the logic of numbers. Perhaps a measure of quality should temper
our numerical estimates of public safety issues.
Agencies and others have supplied instructions regarding what people
should do to protect themselves during close encounters with pumas. The
foundation for these instructions, and an elaboration on suggested
human responses is presented here in the context of 7 different puma
behaviors. The principles involved are: 1) most puma attacks on humans seem
to have been predatory in nature; 2) cats in general are threatened and
intimidated by large, strange, objects approaching rapidly and from
above; 3) cats are stimulated to attack by smaller objects moving rapidly
across or away from their line of travel. Several attacks on humans,
both in captive situations and in the wild, have been stopped when the
victim fought back. We know of no instance anywhere in which an attack,
once contact was made, was stopped when the victim feigned death. We
cannot emphasize too strongly that these descriptions and statements are
tentative and hypothetical in nature. They have some basis in research
and experience, but that is strictly limited and non-comprehensive.
The opinions are subject to error. We hope they will provide a framework
to identify research needs so that someday we may be better able to
provide guidance to people who may encounter a puma close-up. In the
meantime, this is the best we can do.
BASIS FOR THE SUGGESTIONS
Research and observations used in developing
Table 1
were primarily
from Leyhausen (1979), with significant inputs from Beier (1991), Bogue
and Ferrari (1978), Bogue (n.d.), Bogue (pers. comm.), and Fromhold
(n.d.). Other information was gleaned from discussions with many biologists
who work with or have had experience with puma throughout the country,
and with people who work in the field with puma-human encounters.
PUMA BEHAVIORS AND SUGGESTED HUMAN RESPONSES
Based on Leyhausen's (1979) work, and by examining many accounts of
attacks on humans by puma during Fitzhugh's original work in that area
(Fitzhugh and Gorenzel 1986), and the following expansion of that work by
Beier (1991), we conclude that most of the unprovoked attacks by puma
have been predatory in nature. We have, therefore, limited the
behaviors in the table to predatory behaviors. Any people purposely placing
themselves close to a puma should anticipate an attack.
Table 1
(below) contains our best assessment of puma behaviors associated with
human/puma encounters in the puma's predatory mode. We have included
an interpretation of human risk associated with each behavior and our
best prediction of an appropriate human response to the described puma
behavior.
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This material deals with encounters before physical contact occurs.
Some attacks are so secretive that the person may not be aware of the
puma until the attack has occurred. The element of surprise lies with
the puma in that case. The person can do nothing more than fight back
the best way the situation allows. In some cases, fighting back has
thwarted puma attacks.
Some basic principles of cat behavior are worth restating. Cats,
including puma, are intimidated by anything unusual that is larger,
especially taller, than themselves, and by things that approach rapidly.
Positions above a cat are positions of dominance, and those below are
positions of subordinance. Prey that fight back sometimes cause the cat to
end the attack. According to Leyhausen (1979), the drive for
prey-catching must vent itself, but substitute objects will suffice. Beier
(1991) reported an incident in which a boy was saved when an attacking puma
vented its effort on a dropped shoe. Perhaps rolling a small backpack
or other item of equipment across the puma's field of vision might
distract it long enough for the person to take some other needed action,
such as break off a limb or pick up rocks. Please note that when you
bend down to pick up weapons, do so facing directly at the puma; bare your
teeth, and make threatening noises. Growling and barking like a dog
would be appropriate. Your object is to appear to be a predator about
ready to spring. In all close contacts with puma, you must try to appear
as the top, dominant predator.
Prey-sized items that move rapidly across the cat's field of vision, or
at an angle, stimulate prey-catching behavior. If an encounter is not
predatory, but is, or turns into, a defensive or threat encounter for
the puma, it is possible the puma may sit and look away or groom itself.
This behavior is to communicate that the puma does not intend to
attack. If the person behaves similarly, the puma may break off the
encounter and leave because it feels less threatened. We would, however,
always keep the lion within our peripheral vision. If you see that the puma
has recently killed an animal nearby, slowly withdraw from the area,
while watching the puma, without turning your back on it.
The showing of teeth, which people interpret as smiling, is often a
threat display to the animal. Thus, Davy Crockett truly may once
have"grinned down" a bear. We know of no research or observation that supports
"grinning down" any dangerous animal, but once a puma attack is
imminent, the human victim needs all the threatening display he/she can
muster. Grinning, or showing your teeth, won't hurt, at that stage, if you
can do it. It may also keep you from panic. Aggressive shouts or other
loud sounds also may be helpful (Beier 1991). Lastly, we want to
emphasize that puma, like other cats, are highly individualistic. Some are
more aggressive than others. There are no guarantees that anything
will work, or that something that worked once will work again. Good Luck!
LITERATURE CITED
Beier, P. 1991. Cougar attacks on humans in the United States
and Canada. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 19:403-412.
Bogue, G.L. (n.d.). Field notes: lion "talk". pp.6-8 In Newsletter,
Alexander Lindsay Junior Museum. Walnut Creek, CA.
Bogue, G.L., and M. Ferrari. 1974. The predatory "training" of
captive-reared pumas. In Eaton, R.L. (ed.) Contributions to status,
management and conservation. Proc. 3rd Intrnl. Symposium on the World's Cats.
World's Cats 111(1):35-42.
Fitzhugh, E.L., and W.P. Gorenzel. 1986. Biological status of
mountain lions in California. pp 336-346 In T.P. Salmon (ed.) Proc. 12th
Vertebrate Pest Conference. Univ. California, Davis.
Fromhold, M. (n.d.). Houndsman agrees with Bogue -- cougars
communicate with eyes. p. 9 In Newsletter, Alexander Lindsay Junior Museum.
Walnut Creek, CA.
Leyhausen, P. (Transl. by B.A. Tonkin). 1979. Cat behavior. The
predatory and social behavior of domestic and wild cats. Garland STPM
Press. New York and London. xv +340pp.
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