Rare video shows mountain lion take down deer

(VaderSpade, YouTube)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Editor's note:The video contains content that may be disturbing to some readers. WHITMORE, Calif. — As California’s mountain lion population grows, attacks on pets and other wildlife are also on the rise. And a new video shows just how quickly these incidents can occur.

According to a report from Fox News, the video came from a trail camera placed by a California resident named Randy Spade. An avid hunter, Spade has about 30 trail cameras set up on a private ranch owned by a family friend.

“Bears are the main thing we see,” he told Fox News. “Summers are hot up here. We have 30 to 40 days in a row of 100 degrees, and bears love taking a bath in those old watering troughs to cool off.”

But when Spade reviewed footage from a watering hole in early June, he witnessed something he’d never seen before. A deer walked into the frame, triggering the camera. Seconds later, the glowing eyes of a cougar appeared in the darkness.

The big cat lunged at the deer with blinding speed. After the deer was subdued on the ground, subsequent video clips showed the cougar drag it away in the night.

“I was surprised by how fast it struck,” Spade told Fox News. “It was in the blink of an eye.”

This video serves as a stark reminder of the threat of mountain lion attacks on domestic pets, not only in California but in Utah as well. Attacks have been known to happen in multiple cities across the state, including Park City and Draper.

Here are some practical tips to reduce the danger of your pet being attacked:

  • Keep your pets indoors from dusk to dawn
  • Secure your pets in the yard with an enclosure, not a chain
  • Feed your pets indoors
  • Trim brush in your yard to reduce hiding places
  • Install motion-activated lights around your house
You can get more information on how to stay safe in cougar country by visiting the predator section of Utah.gov.


![Grant Olsen](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2560/256091/25609108\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Grant Olsen \-----------------------------

Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things. He is also the author of the book “Rhino Trouble.” You can contact him at grantorrin@gmail.com.

Most recent Outdoors stories

Related topics

OutdoorsU.S.

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast