A 70-year-old man fought off a cougar with a rock that ambushed him hiking Saturday, according to Utah County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO).
The hiker reported a cougar knocked him to the ground and he used a rock he found on the ground to throw at it, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spokesman, Scott Root, told KSL. The cougar was scared away and the man hiked out of the canyon.
The hiker has lacerations on his arms and head, but escaped any serious injuries, UCSO wrote in a news release on social media. (RELATED: Video Shows Elementary School Principal Coming Face-To-Face With Dumpster-Diving Bear)
“I put my arm up, but that’s where the claws got me on this side,” the hiker told NBC. “And I just went down the hill down there, quite a way because it’s pretty steep. And I just rolled up like that and out of the corner of my eye, I saw it going around. I just hit it with a rock and it took off.”
Utah Wildlife searched for the cougar Thursday night and Friday morning, Root told KSL. They found the hiker’s cell phone and cougar tracks but were unable to find the cougar.
There is new safety signage warning hikers of a recent cougar spotting. Utah Wildlife also posted safety tips on social media informing hikers of what to do if they encounter a cougar. UCSO advised hikers to avoid the area or exercise caution.
“It’s very rare for cougars to attack people,” Root told McClatchy News. “Several factors may have contributed to this attack — a younger lion may not be as aware of humans, it could be it was simply startled or defending a kill. It could be a mother defending her kittens. There’s different reasons why an animal could be aggressive.”