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Aggressive Mountain Lion Spotted In Glacier National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 30, 2011 - 1:47am

Visitors to Glacier National Park are being warned to watch out for an aggressive mountain lion in the Lake McDonald Lodge area. NPS file photo.

Visitors to the Lake McDonald area of Glacier National Park are being warned to watch out for an aggressive mountain lion.

Last week a woman and her niece were confronted by an adult mountain lion on the Sperry Trail near Lake McDonald Lodge, a park release said.

The lion, dark in color, "was crouched adjacent to the trail with its ears back when the visitors saw the lion. The visitors spoke firmly to the lion and eventually the lion left the area," the release said.

"On Sunday June 26, rangers received another report of a very large hiking group that encountered a mountain lion with a similar description on the Upper McDonald Creek Trail, between the North McDonald Road and the horse bridge across Upper McDonald Creek. The lion was spotted less than five feet off the trail and did not show any signs of being frightened by people."

Park rangers are patrolling these trails and have been asking visitors to report all sightings immediately to the closest park facility or ranger. Visitors are also reminded that unlike bears, if a mountain lion attack seems imminent, act aggressively, do not crouch or run away. Park officials also are advising that hikers move in groups and not go out solo.

For more information on mountain lions in Glacier, check out this page.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on June 30, 2011 - 8:25pm.

maybe the lion has kittens nearby. give it a break.
stop complaining about wildlife in the wilderness. if you want to exercise go to a gym

Submitted by Wulalowe (not verified) on July 1, 2011 - 5:33am.

I don't see it as a complaint about wildlife in the wilderness at all . . . rather is is a good article that cautions those of us who frequent backcountry areas to always be aware of our surroundings and how to respond when confronted by potentially dangerous wildlife. BTW - mountain lion young are called "cubs" not kittens.

Submitted by Food Chain (not verified) on July 1, 2011 - 8:15am.

I like to call them kitty's:) and I like being a part of the food chain, particularly at the top but that's not always the case=humbled part of the food chain :).

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on July 1, 2011 - 8:29am.

I like clever humor as much as the next guy, but it makes me uncomfortable in this context. I'm afraid that food chain levity might be lost on many people, including the parents of the 10 year-old child who was killed by a mountain lion in 1997 while hiking with his family on the North Inlet Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Submitted by Food Chain (not verified) on July 1, 2011 - 10:56am.

Bob,I absolutely apologize if I've hurt someone that has experienced tragedies from wildlife. Anyone knowing me knows I'm not that way. I'll stop short of the situation with the deranged Grizzly Guy in Alaska, however. Treadwell was his name, I believe, that facilitated himself and his innocent girlfriend being killed and eaten by an old cranky Grizzly. This, I'm sure wasn't the case with the child you speak of or the woman jogging in Chignik, Alaska that was killed and eaten by a pack of wolves or the jogger in the hills above Los Angeles that was stalked, killed and dragged off by a mountain lion. There's a reality out there and it should be taken into account with the culture, ever more removed from that reality through political correctness and other mindsets will have repercussions. Again, my condolences to the family for their loss.