ALBUQUERQUE — The staff of Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) was saddened to hear that Robert Nowojski was killed by a cougar near his home in Pinos Altos on June 20, 2008. We at APNM extend our condolences to his family and friends.
“This tragic event reinforces the need for people everywhere to know how to minimize their risk of attack by a cougar,” states Wildlife Programs Manager Debbie Risberg of APNM. “The most important thing to remember is not to look or act like a cougar’s prey, and to avoid being in cougar country at dawn and dusk when cougars are the most active.”
Cougar attacks are extremely rare, but as people continue to move into the urban-wildlands interface, there is a higher likelihood of human-wildlife encounters. People living in these areas need information on how best to stay safe when living or recreating in “cougar country.”
If you encounter a cougar, give the animal a chance to move away. In most human-cougar meetings, the cougar will retreat.
If approached by a cougar, watch the cougar—focusing on his feet—don’t look him in the eye. Yell, show your teeth, move backwards slowly, throw rocks or sticks (but do not bend down or crouch), and raise your arms overhead to appear large. If you are wearing a jacket, raise the corners over your head to appear even larger. Do not turn your back, and never attempt to run away. To run would be a prey-like activity. If attacked, be aggressive in fighting back. Do not give up. Use cameras, binoculars, walking sticks, or whatever is at hand to defend yourself.
And keep children within arm’s length from an adult when hiking in cougar country.
Please click here [pdf] for a cougar country poster to download and distribute. This poster has been, and will continue to be, displayed at New Mexico Forest Service trailheads. “APNM encourages residents statewide to access this poster and display it in cougar country,” Risberg said, “so that people and wildlife can safely share our wonderful wild places.” A brochure about cougar safety will also be available on the APNM web site www.apnm.org by the end of June 2008.
By understanding how wildlife lives and behaves, people and wildlife can coexist with fewer incidents.
