Ken Norton wrote:
> That Coyote attack is most unusual. There are a number of instances of coyote
> attacks every year, but not like this. A horrible tragedy.
>
There are certainly coyotes around this area, but I've seen only one
anywhere nearby. They had some show up in Golden Gate Park in SF,
completely surrounded by city and ocean. They never directly threatened
any people, but when they started going after dogs on leashes, they were
removed.
> I watched a cougar (mountain lion) take down a deer in Northern Michigan
> right after the Isle Royale workshop ended. Judging from the fierceness
> involved, I'm not sure how I'd fare--and there is enough of me to feed off
> of for a few days.
>
At your height, I think you are safe from any but a serious record size
cougar*. When I saw one in the park just above us, I did a bit of
research. Because of the way they attack and kill their prey, they won't
attack anything with its neck too high for them to seize it in their
jaws while keeping their hind paws on the ground. They also like running
prey. Thus the two attacks in the last few years in CA have been on
small women running in wild country.
There are limits to what any given predator can bring down. On a nature
show a few years ago, they showed a couple of lions attacking a water
buffalo. They leapt up on its hindquarters, trying, I suppose, to pull
it down with their weight. As they hung on, the buffalo walked sedately
to nearby water and headed in. When it got too deep, the lions let go
and swam back to land while the buffalo went on its way.
Not to imply that you are in any way like a water buffalo. ;-)
Moose
* Do I have to start calling them mountain lions now that cougar has an
additional meaning?
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