The Wild Cougar. Cunning. Shy. Secretive. Extremely Dangerous.

Very few experienced woods travelers have ever seen a wild cougar. Yet, without a doubt, these wonderful creatures have had there eyes focused on man as they may have passed by while trekking through the mountains of the west coast of British Columbia. These people may not have realized they had just passed a killer. An animal trained from birth to take down animals even larger than themselves. They were shown by their mothers how to stalk their prey. How to creep along with their chests close to the ground so as not to be seen enabling them to stay out of sight ling enough to get as close as possible before attacking.

The mountain lion uses height to its advantage. They will lie on a high outcropping where they will wait for animal movement in their area. This method saves time and energy. Why roam all over looking for a meal when simply by lying quietly up there they can rest and select the time to go into action.

By the way, in the arid land of the southern USA these animals are referred to as mountain lions as well as puma and panther while in the north and in Canada they are called cougars. Whatever they are called, they are an almost perfect hunting machine. They stalk their prey until they approach to a short distance. Surprise is their tactic. Their attack trigger is when the quarry begins to run away. Then it is full speed ahead. Stretched out at full speed they may cover 18 feet in one leap. They will leap on the back and in one swift move they will have their jaws clamped tight on the neck, cutting off the wind of the soon to be dead animal.

Wild cougars are not considered to be man eaters but attacks do happen quite often and sometimes end tragically. More often these attacks might happen because the animal is starving due to a scarcity of food or the animal could be injured and unable to catch prey. They have the greatest range of all North American animals and are found from the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada and as far south as the Andes.

Their prey include deer, antelope, calves, and sheep, but no small animal will be passed up as a meal or snack. They will even eat mice, birds and beetles.

Cougars are about the size of an average human. They may weigh approximately 150 pounds and can measure eight feet from nose to tail.

The cats have an amazing ability to jump due to their powerful hind legs. One measured vertical leap was measured at eighteen feet and they have been documented to have leaped horizontally between twenty to forty feet.

This impressive meat eater is one kitty and you might want to give it a very wide detour should you ever have a close encounter.

Joe and Irma Mac Millan have enjoyed the Whistler Mountain and valley area of British Columbia for many years. They have camped, hiked and skied the mountains and fished and kayaked the rivers and lakes. Their website whistler-outdoors is a must for anyone considering a trip to Whistler as well as the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. all to take a look.