With cooler temperatures approaching and hunting seasons underway, people are venturing into the outdoors to enjoy New Mexico's wilderness. Sightings and possible encounters with wild animals such as a cougar or black bear may occur.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish wants everyone to know that actual encounters with these animals are rare, but the possibility does exist. For that reason, everyone who recreates in the wilderness should be aware of what to do should an encounter occur.
Based upon observations by researchers, there are patterns of cougar and bear behavior that are recognizable and responses to these behaviors are being developed. The following suggestions may be helpful if you encounter a cougar or bear. However, keep in mind that every situation is different with respect to the animal, the terrain, the people involved and their activities.
First if you meet a cougar or bear on the trail do not run! Fleeing may trigger the animal's instinct to attack. A popular notion with bears is to play dead, but that response was suggested for grizzly bear encounters and has been criticized in recent years. In addition, grizzly bears no longer inhabit New Mexico.
Should you see a bear and it does not see you, stay calm and slowly move away. Speak softly to allow the bear to discover your presence. Do not make sudden moves and avoid eye contact.
In case of a real encounter or charge with either black bears or cougars, it is best to hold your ground and be aggressive. Cougars and bears have been driven away by prey that fights back.
If the cougar or bear approaches too close or behaves aggressively, speak loudly and firmly, clap your hands, wave your hands above your head, arm yourself with a stick, throw rocks or sticks at the animal, convince the animal that you are dominant and a danger to it. If it should attack, fight back. Use any possible object as a weapon such as rocks, sticks, a backpack, or even your bare hands. Stay on your feet and if you fall down try to regain a standing position.
While both animals can be considered dangerous, the cougar may be more of a threat since it is strictly a carnivorous species. However, cougars convey their intention through various body postures, facial expressions and vocalizations. Some of these are important for people to recognize because they serve as warning signals.
A cougar may convey curiosity while standing or sitting, looking intently at the subject of interest with its ears perked forward and even sniffing the air. A cougar approaching a subject in a half or full crouch, ears perked forward and eyes riveted on the subject means serious business; it may be preparing to launch an attack.
Even a cougar lying on its belly with four feet under it, ears perked forward, eyes riveted on the subject and tail twitching nervously is sizing up the situation and can launch an attack in a split second.
To express aggression, a cougar may vocalize a low-key growl with its mouth closed, or it may hiss with its mouth wide open, baring its teeth. The lion may do this in the standing or sitting position. If a cougar is cornered, it also may bluff charge or attack the subject cornering it. The most important thing to remember is never approach a cougar and always leave it a way out.
The best way to avoid a potential problem is to understand where and when encounters are most likely to occur and be cautious in those situations. When recreating in the woods, people should be alert and aware and keep a few simple rules in mind. Cougars prefer rocky outcrops, dense brush and semi-open forests, but can be found wherever there are deer -- their main prey. Bears live primarily in wooded areas, where they feed on everything from berries to carrion. Both are solitary animals and are most active at dawn and dusk.
Use common sense when in cougar and bear country, alter your behavior and keep the risk of interaction with the cougars and bears in perspective. While hiking or camping, it's best to travel in small groups and make enough noise to avoid surprising an animal. Also, do not approach dead animals, it may be a predator's meal.
There is no reason to live in fear, but please respect the lifestyle of cougars and bears. This information is provided not to intimidate but to educate. The likelihood of an encounter is very rare but knowledge of what to do is essential. Cougars and bears personify New Mexico's wilderness and are an integral part of the biotic community: they belong here.