A Lurking Mountain Lion Encountered a Jogger but Respectfully Avoided Conflict

Animals labeled as predators are often depicted as terrifying and violent creatures. Although it’s true, those animals still have other traits and are more than just predators. They may be known as beasts, but they will only make a move when a threat is nearby or when they’re hungry. Wild animals have a keen sense of who or what poses a danger. But if they determine someone won’t harm them, they’ll let them go and hide to avoid unnecessary conflicts. Predatory creatures can be respectful; one mountain lion has proven that on the internet.

Indian Forest Service Officer Susanta Nanda shared a video on Twitter of an encounter between a mountain lion and a woman. The video shows a mountain lion hiding behind a bush and observing the jogging woman. At first, you’d think the mountain lion was waiting for the perfect time to pounce, but it was actually avoiding a conflict. It stayed behind the plants and waited for the woman to pass by. No harm was done — the woman had her peaceful jog.

Officer Susanta Nanda uploaded the video with the caption, “Wild animals will avoid conflict with humans in a majority of situations. They react only when threatened. Interesting video of a mountain lion watching the runner after getting totally camouflaged to avoid conflict.” The tweet has already gained over 100k views, 556 retweets, 34 quote tweets, and 3,717 likes. Twitter users created a long discussion thread about the mountain lion’s real agenda.

Candielove replied, “I can’t completely agree with your comment. Yes, most animals try to avoid conflict with us. But, in big cat situations, they will hide, watch & wait for the perfect opportunity to pounce on their prey.” Many people in the reply section had the same idea as Candielove. Twitter users were divided on this topic, as others believed the mountain lion did definitely avoid a conflict.

Wild animals will avoid conflict with humans in a majority of situations. They react only when threatened…
Interesting video of a mountain lion watching the runner after getting totally camouflaged to avoid conflict.
Via the unexplained pic.twitter.com/wARdjjPqSG

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) September 29, 2022

Nevertheless, the jogging woman was indeed lucky for being able to escape a predator she wasn’t aware was nearby. If you are an expert in animal body language, you might want to join the discussion on Twitter. You can also follow the IFS Officer’s account for more animal-related content.