Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Real Risk and Safety

How common are mountain lion attacks?

The best-known study of cougar attacks, by biologist Paul Beier in 1991, counted 53 confirmed attacks in the US and Canada between 1890 and 1990. Those attacks injured 48 people and killed 10. Attacks became more frequent after the 1970s, as cougar numbers recovered and more people moved into and hiked in cougar country.

Updated tallies now list roughly 130 or more attacks over about a century, of which around 29–30 were fatal. That means the average is about one or two attacks a year, and fewer than one death every few years. For comparison, lightning kills about 20 people a year in the United States alone.

Recent fatal attacks show how unusual they remain. In 2018, a cyclist was killed in Washington, the state’s first fatal attack since 1924, and a hiker died near Mount Hood in the first recorded fatal wild cougar attack in Oregon. In March 2024, a man was killed in northern California, the state’s first fatal attack in 20 years.

Who is most at risk?

Children are by far the most vulnerable. In Beier’s study, about 64 percent of all victims and almost all of those killed were children, many of them playing or walking a little apart from adults. Their small size and quick, high-pitched movements can make them look like prey.

Adults attacked are most often alone: trail runners, mountain bikers and hikers moving quietly through dense cover, especially around dawn and dusk. Groups of adults are very rarely targeted.

Location matters too. More attacks have happened in British Columbia, especially on Vancouver Island, than anywhere else, because cougars are unusually common there. In the US, California, Colorado, Washington and other western states record most incidents.

Why do mountain lions attack?

A cougar learns what prey looks like from its mother, and people are not normally on the menu. Its usual food is deer. Most attacks are linked to a few special situations:

• Young, inexperienced cats. Many attackers are one- to two-year-old cougars that have just left their mother, are trying to find territory and may be hungry. Attacks are most frequent in late spring and summer, when this dispersal happens.
• Starvation or poor health. Underweight, old or injured cougars sometimes target easier prey, including pets and, rarely, people.
• Habituation. Cougars that lose their fear of people, for example near homes where deer gather, are more likely to approach.
• Triggering the chase response. A running or crouching person, or a cyclist moving fast, can trigger the cat’s instinct to chase.

Before an attack, cougars often behave abnormally: they are active in daylight near people, show no fear or follow people. Such animals should be reported to the local wildlife agency.

How to avoid mountain lion encounters

Most people who live or hike in cougar country never see one. Simple habits make an encounter even less likely:

• Hike, run and bike in groups where possible, and make some noise.
• Keep children close and within sight on trails; do not let them run ahead.
• Be extra alert around dawn, dusk and at night, when cougars are most active.
• Keep dogs leashed, and bring pets indoors at night where cougars are present.
• Do not feed deer or other wildlife near homes, because prey attracts cougars.

What to do if you see a mountain lion

Wildlife agencies across North America give the same basic advice. Never approach a cougar, especially one with kittens or feeding on a kill, and always give it a way to leave.

• Do not run. Stay calm, face the animal and back away slowly.
• Look big. Stand tall, raise your arms or open a jacket. Pick up small children so they do not run.
• Do not crouch or bend down, which makes you look smaller.
• Make noise. Speak firmly and loudly; throw objects if the cat comes closer.
• If attacked, fight back with whatever you have, while staying on your feet. Experience shows that people who fight back usually drive cougars off.

If anyone is injured by a wild animal, seek emergency medical help immediately: call 911 in the US and Canada, 112 in the EU or 999 in the UK. Report every attack or threatening cougar to the local wildlife agency.

Mountain lions compared with other wild animals

Cougar attacks are rare compared with injuries caused by many other animals. Bears injure more people each year in North America, although attacks by them are also uncommon; see are bears dangerous? Smaller cats such as bobcats are an even lower risk, as explained in are bobcats dangerous?

Cougars also play a valuable role. As the main predator of deer in much of the West, they help keep deer numbers in balance, which can mean fewer deer-vehicle collisions, far more common causes of injury than cougars themselves.

Myths about mountain lion attacks

Myth: Playing dead works. Unlike with some bear encounters, playing dead is not recommended with cougars. Staying upright and fighting back is the advice.

Myth: Cougars are hiding behind every trail. Most cougars detect and avoid people long before they are seen. Many experienced hikers in the West have never glimpsed one.

Myth: Attacks are increasing out of control. Attack numbers have risen since the early 1900s, mostly because more people use cougar habitat and cougar populations have recovered, but attacks remain very rare events.