LARGE ANIMAL ATTACKS - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 468

Individuals under attack should fight back. They should not appear docile or try to pet
coyotes, no matter how tame they may appear. Children should not be left unattended in
areas accessible to coyotes.
Bison
Most attacks by bison occur in Yellowstone National Park, the home of the largest free-
ranging bison herd. The number of attacks averages three a year. Four fatalities have resul-
ted from these attacks since 1975.
Most bison attacks are provoked, most commonly by tourists who approach the animals
too closely for photographs. However, totally unprovoked attacks also occur. Bison can
weigh as much as 2000 pounds (900 kg) and can run as fast as 35 miles per hour (57 kph).
Their potential for injury must be respected.
Injuriesfrombisonattacksincludegoringsandblunttrauma.Thebison'shornsmayap-
pear inconspicuous but can produce deeply penetrating injuries. Gorings usually involve
the buttocks, posterior thighs, and back because the individual is running away from the
bison. However, cardiac punctures and evisceration have occurred. Stomping, butting, and
tossing by the bison produce blunt injuries that include fractures and other injuries associ-
ated with a fall.
Cougars
Over eighty attacks by cougars, also known as mountain lions, pumas, panthers, and
some forty other names in English alone, have been reported in North America since 1970,
mostly in Colorado and California, and the incidence and fatality rates appear to be in-
creasing, in part because humans are encroaching on cougar habitat. However, cougars no
longer have natural enemies and in most areas are protected from hunting, so the popula-
tion is growing.
Cougarsareterritorial.Older,morematureanimalsdriveyounganimalsoutoftheirter-
ritory—even killing them—as soon as the young are ready to leave their mothers. Many of
theattacksonhumanshavebeeninflicted byyoungcougarsthathavebeendrivenintoless
desirable territory, closer to human habitation.
Attacks are usually unprovoked and predatory. Cougars usually consume humans they
have killed. Over 25 percent of the individuals killed by cougars have been children.
Whenfacedbyacougar,threateningbehaviorisbestforwardingoffattacks.Individuals
shouldmakenoiseandopentheircoatssotheylookaslargeaspossible.Eyecontactshould
not be avoided. Running only invites attack. If actually assaulted, humans should fight
back. Cougars are looking for a meal, not a fight.
Humans who live near cougar habitat should avoid making their homes attractive for
cougars. Not only are pets such as dogs and cats an enticement for hungry cougars, resid-