21-yr-old musician was charged by mountain lion while hiking—one specific sound made by him scared big cat off
Knowing how to keep oneself safe in the outdoors is essential before embarking on nature-related activities like a hike. A musician managed to do that when he came face to face with a mountain lion during a hike near Pyramid Lake. The man, Dutch Faro, had decided to go out for a hike to look at the Los Angeles County reservoir. However, he hadn't expected to see the giant cat during his trip. The wild cat was about to pounce on the 21-year-old when he quickly thought of a trick that saved his life, per KTLA 5 News.
The man was on his way to Bakersfield back in 2022 when he decided to stop and check the lake. He was coming back from his destination when he saw the mountain lion cub standing really close to him. The man was horrified and the wild cat was ready to jump on him. He tried to scream and scare the cub at first, but the wild animal stalked closer to him instead. Eventually, Faro ended up screaming "roar" twice, which managed to scare the big cat off. "I saw it in my peripheral vision. And then I tried to yell at it, but nothing happened. And it was just about to jump and pounce on me and…I had a primal instinct and roared at it," Faro told the outlet.
"That was my last hope. It was coming at me. What was I going to do? Keep on running? I stood my ground and just roared at it," Faro recounted. The lion was ready to attack the man just seconds before he got the idea, according to a clip shared by him. The mountain lion was scared after listening to his roars and ran away quickly. "I thought I was going to have to fight this thing." The man had realized that the mountain lion wasn't a fully grown one, but he was worried that the cub's mother would show up to protect him as well. He was glad that neither of them showed up and he was able to get back to his car safely. Faro simply took a stick as a safety measure as he walked back.
The man, who worked as a musician and chef, had planned to jump into the lake if the lion came back, according to the outlet. According to the National Park Service, Los Angeles is one of the few cities where one can see lions within city limits as well. But as the mountain lions like to keep to themselves, the sightings like the one Faro experienced are very rare. They prefer natural areas and try to avoid regions populated by humans. The site suggested that if a person was to come across one of these big cats, they should try to appear as threatening as possible by yelling, waving arms and throwing things in the direction of the animal. They advised that a person should back away slowly to give the lion space. Turning and running away should be avoided.
The video of the encounter was also shared by CBS Mornings. It ended with the lion turning back and running away. "Fight or flight, survival of the fittest, do or die. That's what was really going through my head," the man told the outlet. "So you know, I let out a roar and told him to take a hike." Many people commented on the man's trick for scaring the lion away. Terry Etter wrote, "Attitude is everything with cats and I guess the size of the cat doesn't matter. Glad this turned into a fun video and kudos to the young man!"