A mountain biker was attacked by a mountain lion while riding the Alpine Capone trail near Brohm Ridge outside of Squamish, British Columbia. The attack occurred on Thursday, August 7, at about 6:30pm.
According to the BC Conservation Officer Service (COS), “the cougar made contact and continued to follow him down the trail for approximately 20 minutes. The man, who was walking backwards holding his bike, managed to throw rocks at the cougar, which disengaged.” The man only received minor injuries from the encounter.
Unfortunately, the reports are light on details. What does it mean that the cougar “made contact”? What injuries did the man sustain, and how did he get them? For example, did he fall while frightened, or did the mountain lion actually inflict direct injury?
At this time, the answers are unclear. We’ll be sure to update this article if and when more information becomes available.
A string of mountain lion attacks in the same area prompted trail closures at the Whistler Bike Park
The attack happened near Garibaldi Provincial Park, which is located near the sites of several other recent mountain lion attacks. Some sources report that this is the “third attack in three weeks,” although additional research indicates that most of the examples of aggressive cougar activity in recent weeks have been stalking, and not actual attacks. This is a good reminder to take these reports with a grain of salt, especially when shared on social media.
Regardless of the number of encounters and their purported severity, some trails in Garibaldi Provincial Park and Whistler Blackcomb were indeed closed earlier this year due to aggressive mountain lion activity. Most notably, the Creekside and Garbanzo zones of the Whistler Bike Park were closed on June 21 due to “aggressive cougar activity in the area” following two separate incidents.
“In one incident, a mountain biker was approached by a cougar. The cougar disengaged when other bikers arrived but stayed in the area,” said a spokesperson from COS. Portions of Whistler Blackcomb remained closed until June 30th, when the entire bike park reopened to the public.
The COS is currently unclear whether the same animal was involved in all of the incidents.
At this time, the COS is encouraging the public to avoid the area and to be prepared for possible mountain lion encounters. The best way to prepare for (and prevent) an encounter is to carry bear spray, travel in a group of people, keep pets on a leash, and make lots of noise to announce your presence.
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