‘Go away!' SoCal hiker captures scary encounter with mountain lion on video
But for Cortney Rasura last week, that nightmare became reality.
In a wild video shared on Instagram, Rasura captured two moments when a mountain lion came onto her hiking trail, and at one point, appeared to be headed straight toward her.
'No!' she repeatedly yelled at the cat. 'No, go away!'
Rasura encountered the mountain lion on July 3 on Gridley trail in Los Padres National Forest, she said in an interview with KTLA. After making several steps toward her, the mountain lion diverts from the trail and bounds up the hillside. You can hear Rasura's relief in the video as she mutters, 'thank you!'
Rasura told the station that she's an experienced hiker, and knew to maintain eye contact with the cat and not run away.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife encourages people to take steps to avoid mountain lion encounters, such as hiking in groups, not hiking at dawn, dusk or nighttime and keeping food stored properly. But in an unplanned encounter, Rasura took several of the agency's recommended steps, including staying calm, not running away and making loud noises.
The agency also recommends trying to look bigger, if possible, and warns people to never approach the big cat or crouch down.
According to the CDFW, there have been a dozen mountain lion attacks on humans in the last decade in California, one fatal. Even still, the agency said such attacks remain quite rare, as humans are 1,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion.
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'She loved our residents dearly and was an invaluable part of our mission. We are deeply grateful to the rescue workers and first responders who worked tirelessly to bring her home.' The Williamson County Sheriff's Office also recovered the body of Kaitlyn Swallow, 22, of Liberty Hill. Emergency management officials in Burnet County say five people are dead after flash flooding hit their county. Officials confirmed that ranch worker Preston Prince, 22, lost his life. Malaya Hammond, 17, and Walter Reed, 79, were also named among the victims. The son of William 'Govani' Venus, 57, confirmed to KXAN's Kevin Baskar that his father was among those killed. In a Facebook post, his son said Venus was a 33-year retired CSM Army veteran who had been deployed five times. A fifth victim has not yet been identified. One other person remains missing — Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Phillips, who was swept away during a water rescue. Flooding in San Angelo on July 4 claimed one life. The body of Tanya Burwick, 62, was found several blocks away from where her vehicle had been found, according to the San Angelo Police Department. 'We ask that the public continue to keep the Burwick family in their thoughts and prayers as they navigate this heartbreaking tragedy,' the department wrote on Facebook. We will update this story as new information becomes available. Investigative Intern Elijah Carll and Investigative Producer Dalton Huey contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
