Posted on 02/08/2012 9:40:57 AM PST by servo1969
A family vacation to west Texas included a frightening encounter with a mountain lion for a Leander couple and their 6-year-old son.
The 17 stitches on the right side of Rivers Hobbs' face may be out by next week, but the memory of what caused the injury will not soon fade away.
It sneaked up on me, said Hobbs.
The 6-year-old was attacked Sunday, by a mountain lion, at Big Bend National Park. He and his parents were on a walkway near the main lodge heading to their room when the mountain lion attacked.
No, not that bad, said Hobbs, when asked if the attack hurt.
The family is expected to return to their Leander home Wednesday evening. Once back home, Hobbs will have to go though a series of rabies shots.
Next door neighbor, Jessie Brannon, knew the family was on a trip, but didn't know about the attack.
Just at the wrong time when he's starting school and everything, I'm really sorry about that, people should be very careful in those parks," said Brannon.
Earlier in the day, the mountain lion attacked another family, who say Hobbs parents and warned them of the danger.
FOX 7 spoke to Kristi Harris, the mother of the 6-year-old, by phone. Harris said they decided against camping out because of what the other family told them. After eating at the main lodge they walked to their room, when the cat literally pulled her son from her hands.
(Excerpt) Read more at myfoxaustin.com ...
In the wild I pack either S&W 686 (7 shot .357) or Sig P220 (.45).
they were in a national park, he probably would have been arrested if he were armed.
Big Bend Ping
in reference to your post here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2800312/posts?page=69#69
Bad big kitty ping
I thought you could carry in National Parks now or have they changed it again?
Wildlife ping
Just at the wrong time when he’s starting school and everything,....
I think he will win the WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR SUMMER VACATION contest.
You must have missed the 2010 law allowing POSESS AND CARRY IN NATIONAL PARKS!
My husband and I made many trips to Big Bend and other wilderness locations with our daughter, and there is a resident cougar where I live and hike now-I avoid areas the cat is known to frequent, and I do not let my dog and cats stay outside in the yard like food to go. Coyotes can also be extremely dangerous, especially in packs.
Lesson #1 for enjoying the wilderness is to not hike alone, make plenty of noise, don’t run or ride a bike-triggers predator response-and carry mace or a sidearm. That said, it sounds like the cougar that attacked the child was rabid-it needs to be put down, and I’m guessing that is what the Parks and Wildlife people will do. A healthy cougar does not normally grab a person who is not alone, according to the game wardens and other wildlife people.
P.S.
I carried prior to 2010.
Let’s see “dead son” or “arrested”....hmmm.....
There’s 20 ways to say it, but my safety comes before any 2A infringement.
If the available options were only ‘desd son’ or arrested it would be easy. How about just arrested? I carry myself but most trips to national parks do not result in deaths.
The govt does not place your 2nd amendment rights above their rules.
I’ve been told that if an animal attacks a human, then it can be killed. The wildlife people are going to find the animal and put it down if the person attacked has not done so on the spot. Cougars are a protected animal, but not if they attack humans.
my safety comes before any 2A infringement
Cougars will go after people, especially small children when they are desperate. usually from being sick or injured.
Not in Texas:
Nongame and Other Species Nongame Animals
Includes, but is not limited to the following:
Armadillos* Bobcats* Coyotes* Flying squirrels Frogs Ground squirrels Mountain lions Porcupines Prairie dogs Rabbits Turtles
Does not include feral hog (see Exotic Animals and Fowl).
No closed season. These animals may be hunted at any time by any lawful means or methods on private property. Public hunting lands may have restrictions. A hunting license is required.
Out here, like in a lot of rural areas we’ve been told to leave them alone, and people are okay with that because over the past 20 years they are making a comeback after decades of being hunted out-they are a natural part of the ecology, keeping our deer herds healthy so they they don’t overpopulate, and maybe they keep those really dangerous hogs in check-I’m actually more afraid of the feral hogs because they are unpredictable, they do kill people, and you can walk up on them unexpectedly in the forest.
No hunting of any kind is allowed in this area because it is actually a bunch of subdivisions-some gated, some not-made up of acreage lots. I guess someone told the cougars it is safe here, because there are at least three of them holding territory in about a 20 sq. mi. area. The one in this neighborhood raids the dumpsters in our 2 parks every night on the weekends, after the RV campers and day tourists have tossed all their yummy leftovers into them ...
The UN Agenda 21 is working as they planned
I live quite literally in the woods and hike a mile or two just about every day. I always carry a large walking stick, mace/pepper spray-if I’m going into the deepest, darkest woods or to the caves, I carry my .38, but I also hike with a neighbor if I’m going to do that-it is foolhardy to hike in obvious predator territory alone. If an animal like a hog or a mountain lion-or a large feral dog-took a threatening stance, there is no question of what I would do.
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