wilderness safety

4-Year-Old Bitten by Mountain Lion in National Park: Officials Respond

4-year-old bitten by mountain lion at national park: Officials is, understandably, a terrifying headline. It’s the kind of news that sends shivers down your spine and makes you re-evaluate your own plans for outdoor adventures, especially if you have young children. The immediate reaction is to feel immense sympathy for the child and their family. It’s every parent’s nightmare, right? Imagine the fear, the panic, and the sheer helplessness of witnessing such an event.

Following the attack, park rangers had a clear and decisive job: locate and remove the threat. They found the collared mountain lion and, as the officials stated, it was “dispatched” Monday morning.… Continue reading

A 911 caller reported his friend was killed by a bear in his tent. It was actually a brutal homicide.

The shocking report of a 911 caller claiming his friend was killed by a bear in a tent is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities we face when we retreat into nature for solitude or adventure. Initially, the horror of a bear attack seems to defy logic; wild animals are often painted as the predators we fear when we venture into the wild. However, the subsequent revelation that this was not a case of wildlife gone rogue but instead a brutal homicide forces me to confront the chilling reality that the true danger can come from those we consider to be civilized.… Continue reading