Why Mountain Lions Are Attacking More Often

Jan 2

Mountain lions go by more names than probably any other animal in North America—cougar, puma, panther, catamount, painter, lion. On the Prairie Farm Podcast episode 320, Bart George and Dr. Brook Lang spent time discussing these remarkable predators and a growing problem that's changing how humans and lions interact: habituation.

And it's not as simple as "lions are getting more aggressive." The reality is way more complicated, and way more concerning.

The Chase Instinct

Bart George explained something on the podcast that gets to the heart of why mountain lions and humans are having more dangerous encounters. Bears, he noted, can figure out how to coexist with people relatively easily. If you're camping on a salmon stream in Alaska, you might have 18 bear encounters in 24 hours, and as long as you're not in their way when they're eating, "it's like we didn't exist."

But cats are different. "I think that natural tendency for a cat to want to chase, you know, and take—they're a pursuit predator," Bart said. "If your house cat sees a little Tinkerbell or a ball of yarn, it's going to chase it, right? That natural tendency is what keeps cougars alive, [but it's] also their detriment when there's people around."

The runner or the bicyclist going past triggers something fundamental in a mountain lion's brain—the chase response. And once that switch flips, things can go bad very fast.

What the Numbers Actually Tell Us

Let's be clear about something: mountain lion attacks on humans are incredibly rare. In the past 100 years, there have been fewer than 20-30 human fatalities from mountain lion attacks in North America. For perspective, about 777 people die from mosquito-borne illnesses each year, 28 are struck by lightning, and around 35,000-45,000 die in motor vehicle accidents.

But here's what's changed: From 1890 until 1994, there were only 64 authenticated attacks and 13 fatalities. As of 2022, that number has risen to 126 attacks and 27 fatalities. Attacks are becoming more frequent, and that trend matters.

The Habituation Cycle

Habituation happens when mountain lions lose their natural fear of humans through close contact and exposure. And it's not the lions' fault—it's ours.

Here's how it works: We build houses deeper into mountain lion habitat. We leave pet food outside. We feed deer in our yards (which the lions see as a buffet delivered right to them). We hike and bike through their territory in increasing numbers. And crucially, in many places, we've stopped hunting them entirely, so they have no negative associations with humans.

The result? Lions that aren't afraid of people. And an unafraid mountain lion is a dangerous mountain lion.

In March 2023, two young California men—Taylen Brooks, 21, and Wyatt Brooks, 18—were searching for shed deer antlers in the Sierra foothills when a young mountain lion approached them. They did everything right: raised their arms, yelled, backed away slowly. The lion was not deterred. It attacked Wyatt, sinking its fangs into his face. When he pushed it away, the lion turned and attacked Taylen, fastening its jaws on his neck. Taylen died from his injuries.

The lion had become habituated. It had lost its fear of humans. And according to experts, there are increasingly more lions like this one, especially in places where hunting pressure has been completely removed for decades.

The Management Paradox

Here's where it gets really interesting—and controversial. Some experts argue that too much hunting creates more problems, not fewer.

Heavy hunting pressure tends to kill older, experienced adult lions, leaving the population skewed toward inexperienced juveniles. These young cats haven't learned how to hunt as proficiently as their adult counterparts, leading them to make mistakes and sometimes mistake a human for food. The juvenile lions are often the ones wreaking havoc in human communities, attacking pets and livestock.

A study by Washington State University found that reducing the number of lions hunted for sport actually reduced negative interactions between mountain lions and humans, pets, and livestock. When Washington lowered its hunting quota based on this data, they saw a marked reduction in these negative interactions.

Interestingly, California has banned sport hunting of mountain lions entirely since 1990, and it has the lowest rate of human-lion interactions per capita in the country. But California also allows depredation permits—meaning if a lion poses a risk to public safety or livestock, the public can apply for a permit to kill it, but only after trying nonlethal methods twice.

So what's the answer? According to the research, the trick is equilibrium—keeping hunting pressure roughly equal to population growth. In Washington, where the mountain lion population increases by about 14% annually, hunting is regulated to match that 14%.

The Nonlethal Alternative

Some wildlife managers advocate for something called "tree-and-free." Hunters with hounds chase lions until they climb a tree to escape. Then they're released. The goal isn't to kill the lion—it's to instill a fear of humans. The chase and the stress of being treed teach the lion that humans are dangerous and should be avoided.

"The linchpin is strictly the exercise of having them run with hounds and stressing them enough until they take refuge up a tree," wildlife experts explain. "Bears have been running lions into trees since time immemorial. It's just what they do to escape."

In California, where lions are strictly protected, this approach is controversial because it's considered "harassment" under current law. But proponents argue that without some form of negative reinforcement, lions in populated areas will continue to habituate.

What It Means for People Who Share Lion Country

If you live, hike, or recreate in mountain lion habitat, here's what you need to know:

Don't run. Running triggers that predatory chase response we talked about earlier. Stand your ground.

Make yourself big. Raise your arms, wave your jacket, make noise. You want to look like a threat, not prey.

If attacked, fight back. Many people have successfully fought off mountain lions with rocks, sticks, garden tools, or their bare hands. Go for the eyes and nose. Do NOT play dead—that works for bears, not cats.

Keep kids close and dogs on leash. Both trigger predatory behavior because of their size and movements. Children are most at risk because lions see them as appropriately-sized prey.

Hike in groups and make noise. Lions prefer to ambush solitary prey and avoid confrontations with groups.

The Real Problem

The habituation issue comes down to this: we're building into lion habitat at unprecedented rates while simultaneously removing the mechanisms that taught lions to fear humans. In some places, that means too much hunting pressure creating unstable lion populations full of inexperienced juveniles. In other places, it means zero hunting pressure and lions that have never learned to avoid people.

Various factors contribute to increased encounters: habitat fragmentation, drought conditions that push lions closer to human development in search of food and water, wildfires, and just the sheer number of people recreating in lion country.

The estimated 30,000 mountain lions in the United States face a changing landscape. They're adapting to us faster than we're adapting to them. And every habituation event—every lion that loses its fear of humans—increases the risk for everyone.

Bart George noted on the podcast that cougars' pursuit predator instincts, while keeping them alive in the wild, become a liability around people. That's the fundamental challenge. You can't train a cat not to chase. It's hardwired. What you can do is make sure they associate humans with danger rather than indifference or opportunity.

Finding Balance

We're not going to eliminate mountain lions from the landscape, and we shouldn't want to. They're ecologically important apex predators that help control deer populations and maintain healthy ecosystems. But we also can't ignore that attacks are increasing and habituation is a real problem.

The solution probably involves a combination of strategies: regulated hunting to maintain healthy, balanced lion populations; tree-and-free or similar nonlethal deterrent programs in problem areas; strict regulations about feeding wildlife or leaving attractants out; education for people living and recreating in lion country; and most importantly, thoughtful development that minimizes habitat fragmentation.

It's a complicated issue without easy answers. But ignoring it won't make it go away. As more people move into and recreate in mountain lion habitat, these encounters are only going to increase. The question is whether we'll manage the situation proactively or wait for more tragedies to force our hand.

The mountain lions aren't going anywhere. The question is whether we can figure out how to share the landscape with them safely—for us and for them.

Hear more about mountain lions and wildlife management on the Prairie Farm Podcast episode 320 with Bart George and Dr. Brook Lang.

Sources:

Hoksey Native Seeds