We are thankful that Erin Wilson and her dog Eva are recovering well after fending off an attack by a mountain lion near Big Bar, CA. Recent updates indicate that Eva is likely to come home from the vet soon, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is working to find the mountain lion.

Erin responded exactly as one should in such a moment. Her quick thinking and the assistance of a passer-by prevented a bad situation from getting worse. By first attempting to scare off the mountain lion, then fighting back with pepper spray and ultimately a PVC pipe, they drove away the lion. Their description of the lion indicates that it is probably unwell, underfed, and possibly suffering from eye problems, all of which likely contributed to the cat’s unusual behavior.

Incidents like this are incredibly rare, but shocking whenever they occur. Even with thousands of mountain lions throughout the West, and our constantly increasing recreation and number of residences in mountain lion territory, one is still more likely to be struck by lightning than to experience such an attack.

In the West, we live alongside wildlife like mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, bears and other animals. MLF believes that people and wildlife alike can thrive and share the landscape. It is our hope and mission to ensure that these types of traumatic encounters will be as rare as possible.

Click here for information about safety in lion country.

Learn more from Erin about how Eva is doing.