14 July 2023
TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (KTLA) — A wildlife photographer may have gotten the shot of a lifetime Wednesday night when he encountered a mountain lion mere feet from him on a path.
Mark Girardeau said he was checking his motion-activated cameras in Trabuco Canyon when he saw the adult puma, which he calls “Uno,” “just chilling” on the trail.
This mountain lion had no problem around wildlife photographer Mark Girardeau on July 13, 2023. (Mark Girardeau)
When he zooms in on Uno, the camera shows that the cougar is calm and composed, seemingly more curious about Girardeau’s presence than anything else.
The big cat then saunters down the trail until she reaches the other side of the path from Girardeau’s position, then trots away.
“Oh s—. I had bear spray ready,” he narrates.
In another video, Uno, who is wearing a collar, walks within an arm’s length of Girardeau’s vehicle, seemingly unconcerned with his presence.
If you encounter a mountain lion in the wild, the National Park Service says to stay calm, make eye contact and stand and face the animal while making yourself as big as possible.
Don’t turn your back on the predator or bend down or crouch, as that could trigger the mountain lion’s instincts to chase or attack.
If that fails, throw things at the mountain lion and fight back.
But perhaps most importantly, you should leave the mountain lion an escape route.
“Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape,” the NPS said.