Hiker's heart-stopping video shows exactly what to do if confronted by a mountain lion
Courtney Rasura found herself just feet away from the wild animal while roaming through Gridley Trail in Ojai on July 3 around 6:30pm.
She said she had looked down at her phone quickly to play a podcast, and when she returned her gaze to the path ahead she realized she was no longer alone.
The experienced hiker started recording, but made sure not to make any sudden moves that might make the lion attack.
Instead of running away - any many would think to do when confronted with a potentially aggressive creature - Rasura maintained eye contact with the lion.
She also repeatedly shouted 'no' and 'go away' at the lion as it came closer to her. At one point, she just screamed to try and scare it off.
'I was really hoping my yelling would make it go away, which it did, but after it retreated into a bush, it came back onto the trail,' Rasura told Edhat.
But after a few heart-stopping seconds, Rosura's survival method proved effective -as the animal turned away and ran up a mountain.
'Thank you,' she said in the video, followed by a sigh of relief as she uttered 'oh, my God.'
Reflecting on the ordeal, she said she has been hiking in Ojai for more than 15 years, but 'had never come across a mountain lion before.'
'It was an amazing and terrifying experience all at the same time,' she told the outlet.
While she is grateful she was able to come so close to the wild feline and walk away unscathed, she said she will definitely remain more aware and cautious on her future hikes.
Rosura also shared the video on Instagram, garnering views from thousands of stunned viewers.
'Damn that was too close,' one man wrote, while another said 'her reaction was perfect.'
'Stood your ground & never turned your back! good on you!' one woman said, applauding her calm response to the terrifying run-in.
'I'm SO GLAD you're safe!! I hike in LA all the time with my dog, but with the January fires & animal displacement right now, mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats are all roaming the mountains & neighborhood looking for homes.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Cortney Rasura (@cortney26)
'Always stay vigilant & aware of your surroundings if you're hiking in the LA mountains right now.'
If hikers come face-to-face with a lion, the National Park Service (NPS) advises them to remain calm. They should not run away, bend down or go up to it.
The NPS said mountain lions 'are an important part of the park ecosystem' because they help keep the deer population in check.
'Although lion attacks are rare, they are possible, as is injury from any wild animal,' the agency wrote.
'Even so, the potential for being killed or injured by a mountain lion is quite low compared to many other natural hazards.'
Although there is not much recent research on the likelihood of a fatal mountain lion attack, the Mountain Lion Foundation reported in 2016 that the chances of being killed by one in the US are one in a billion.
Last year, the organization said there have been about 29 cases of fatal mountain lion-human encounters in North America since 1868.
'For context, each year in the US on average 777 people die from mosquito-borne illnesses, 28 people are struck by lightning, at least 20 people die from firearm-related hunting accidents, 86 people die from animal venom, and about 35,000 to 45,000 people die from motor vehicle accidents,' the group wrote.
'By contrast, in California alone, two mountain lions die of car strikes every week, on average.'
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates there are anywhere between 4,000 to 6,000 mountain lions in the Golden State.
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