A mountain lion followed a hiker in Utah for more than six minutes after the man inadvertently walked by the big cat’s four cubs.
Twenty-six-year-old Kyle Burgess was hiking in Provo’s Slate Canyon Park when he saw the four cubs on the trail. He continued on, and then noticed the mountain lion following him.
He turned and faced the cat and walked backwards for minutes, saying things like “No, no go away, please go away,” and “Come on, dude, I don’t feel like dying today.”
The lion followed slowly behind him, but then lunged toward him. Burgess picked up a rock and flung it at the cat, at which point she ran away.
Wildlife experts say Burgess handled the situation correctly, not turning his back on the animal and running away, which would have caused the cat to interpret him as prey.