ShreyaWhenever we see a puppy or a kitten in need of help we instantly run to their assistance. There have been cases where firemen have put their lives in danger to rescue a dog or a cat from buildings and people have climbed on high poles to save their pets. But what if the animal who needed help was not tame like a dog or a cat but a wild animal who is a carnivore and inherently dangerous? How many people would go to the rescue of such an animal trapped between life and death? Not many. But these group of men puts their lives on edge when they probably should have not.
Utah Mountains
There are a lot of areas around the state of Utah that are suitable for hiking and trekking. There is the Wasatch Range and more than 80% of residents live within 15 miles of these Range which are called the “Utah’s mountains”. There are national parks like Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Zion National Park and there is the Great Salt Lake, Lake Powell, Bonneville Salt Flats and many other places. The terrible event that we are going to tell you about took place in the Pine Valley Mountains in southern Utah where two hikers went for a leisure time but found themselves in a tricky situation.
Wild West
Utah is known as the “Wild West” and not only because the largest fossil deposits of Dinosaurs have been found in its regions. The Great Salt Lake is even saltier than ocean water! It also harbors the world’s heaviest organism- Pando, a male aspen tree, covers an entire forest! Also, a lot of wild animal species take shelter in Utah regions and not only in the 5 national parks. Hikers occasionally encounter lions on their vacations and consider it prudent to maintain some distance, however when these hikers came face to face with a dangerous animal they chose to go against their ‘flight’ instinct.
Call Of Duty
It is the job of Mark Ekins and his crew from Division of Wildlife Resources conservation to rescue any animals trapped or in need of help in the Pine Mountains. There are traps set at various places for bobcats and coyotes in the mountains and the forest. However, some other animals get trapped in those from time to time but most animals are able to free themselves from it. However, this wild and vicious creature was not lucky enough. Mark Ekins, when he reached the location captured it all on the camera and it sends chills down the spine.
Creature Of The Wild
It was reported to the Division of Wildlife Resources that a full-grown mountain predator was spotted being trapped in the Mountains of the Pine Valley. Since it was a ferocious member of the cat family and full grown on top of that, unequipped and inexperienced people did not even dare to go near it. It also kept snarling at whoever neared it and was completed frustrated by now because it was not able to get out of the trap set by humans. That’s when Mark and another member came to the location fully equipped for any sort of danger.
Coug-arrrrrr
It was one of the ferocious member of the cat family, cougar, also known as the panther, mountain lion or puma (yes, this is where the brand name comes from) that got into trouble. It actually holds the Guinness record for being the animal with the largest number of names which keep changing depending on the region they are found in. Not a lot of animals prey on cougars apart from humans- they belong to the predator family and such is their demeanor and uphold in their natural habitat. The cougar Mark encountered, even though in trouble, did not drop its predatory nature and the humans faced consequences as can be seen in the video ahead.
To Know About Cougars
Cougars can grow up to 10ft in length and is the second largest cat in America. They cannot roar but they can hiss and purr like normal cats. They snarl to warn anyone who they find threatening in any way. Cougars can leap up to 20ft on a prey which is A LOT for any animal. Also like most members of the cat family, they are solitary creatures and fierce in their attacks. They aren’t the trustworthy kinds like most dogs, that probably justifies why this cougar reacted the way it did when the men tried to help it. It was not easy to deal with, even when in need of help.