Senior citizen fights off mountain lion

[Darth Drabek]

This is just ... unbelievable.

 

Woman fights off mountain lion

HUSBAND SURVIVES ATTACK IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PARK

By John Driscoll

MediaNews

 

A 65-year-old woman fought off a mountain lion attack in Humboldt County on Wednesday -- using a ballpoint pen to stab the animal -- and in the process probably saved the life of her 70-year-old husband.

 

Nell Hamm first saw the lion when it had her husband's head in its jaws.

 

The lion pounced on Jim Hamm at the end of a 10-mile hike in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. He was trailing his wife when the big cat attacked, pinning him face down on the trail.

 

Nell Hamm did all the right things. She approached and screamed at the lion. Then she grabbed a branch and began beating it on its back.

 

``It wouldn't let go, no matter how hard I hit it,'' she said in an interview at Mad River Community Hospital Thursday, where her husband was in intensive care recovering from surgery.

 

Jim Hamm, who was trying to tear at the face of the cat, told his wife to grab a pen from his pocket and stab the cat in the eyes. She did, but the pen broke.

 

``That lion never flinched,'' she said. ``I just knew it was going to kill him.''

 

Nell Hamm picked up the branch again and this time slammed it butt-end into the cat's snout. The lion had ignored her until then. Finally, she had its attention. The cat stepped back, and glared at her with its ears pinned back.

 

``I thought he was going to attack me,'' she said.

 

Instead, the cat slipped into the ferns and disappeared.

 

Terrified that it might come back, Hamm told her husband that he had to get up and try to walk to the Newton B. Drury Parkway, parallel to U.S. Highway 101, to find help. He was losing blood quickly. It was about 3 p.m.

 

``Somehow we made it out of there,'' she said.

 

About a quarter-mile away, they came upon an inmate work crew with the California Department of Forestry. The CDF sent an ambulance from Arcata, which took the couple to the hospital. Jim Hamm underwent surgery for serious lacerations to his head, legs, arms and hands.

 

Meanwhile, wardens with the California Department of Fish and Game and state park rangers closed the parkway and evacuated visitors from the area.

 

Agents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services, using dogs, eventually treed and killed two lions spotted nearby, and both were sent to a state lab for examination.

 

The Hamms are healthy, athletic people. They play sports, scuba dive and run.

 

Since they moved here from Camarillo two years ago, they have hiked the trails in Humboldt County, clocking 6 to 12 miles, two to three times a week. Neither of them is large; both are under 5 feet 6 inches. But they had talked about what to do in case of a mountain lion attack: Scream, look big, fight back.

 

And they never hiked alone.

 

``All the emergency people told me that Jim would not be alive if he were alone,'' Nell Hamm said.

 

Her husband still faces a struggle. Cat bites and scratches can lead to serious infections, and doctors are giving him intravenous antibiotics. They've also started a series of rabies shots.

 

Nell Hamm was thankful to the emergency personnel, rangers, wardens, doctors and nurses who helped them through the ordeal.

 

Despite their long history of hiking, it was too early for her to say if they'd ever venture out again.

 

``It's not like Jim and I are saying, `Don't go in the forest,' '' she said. ``Go in the forest like you'd go scuba diving in the ocean. Respect where you are.''

[Hildegard]

Poor cat :'(

 

She's gonna have nightmares because of this

Edited January 26, 2007 by Hildegard

[kirottu]

Damn. Now that

[Nartwak]

Huh. I thought old ladies used crochet hooks.

[astr0creep]

Dem damned mangy cats!

 

Just because their habitat is being raped by human actions dos not give dem the rights to bite the head of an elderly American!

 

All cats everywhere should be sent to Guantanamo for proper processing!

 

Dat'll teach'em.

[Surreptishus]

Dem damned mangy cats!

 

Just because their habitat is being raped by human actions dos not give dem the rights to bite the head of an elderly American!

 

All cats everywhere should be sent to Guantanamo for proper processing!

 

Dat'll teach'em.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Are you saying they should have let the animal just kill them?

[Wistrik]

Here's a wiki article on the "Mountain Lion" for some background on the big cat with many names.

 

Others have not been so fortunate. These two did research and planned ahead, then kept their heads and worked as a team when attacked.

[Gorgon]

Why do cougars attack groups of humans, are they stupid ?, I mean they are smallish cats and predators usually don't try to take on anything that can fight back, if a predator gets injured it can't hunt and will likely die.

 

Perhaps it sensed they were weak somehow, or felt its territory threatened.

Edited January 26, 2007 by Gorgon

[astr0creep]

Dem damned mangy cats!

 

Just because their habitat is being raped by human actions dos not give dem the rights to bite the head of an elderly American!

 

All cats everywhere should be sent to Guantanamo for proper processing!

 

Dat'll teach'em.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Are you saying they should have let the animal just kill them?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Nope.

I'm saying it's about survival.

Cats hunt where the food is. Since their habitat is being destroyed they need to move around, often entering our habitat with such consequences.

Of course humans need to survive also and this woman kept her head and did the right thing to save her husband and herself.

 

But I'm saying nobody can blame the cats.

For example, I hope they don't mount a search and destroy operation on Mountain Lions.

[Gfted1]

Why do cougars attack groups of humans, are they stupid ?, I mean they are smallish cats and predators usually don't try to take on anything that can fight back, if a predator  gets injured it can't hunt and will likely die.

 

Perhaps it sensed they were weak somehow, or felt its territory threatened.

 

 

I cant speak for every case but when these type attacks occur its usually because either the animal itself was hurt/sick and unable to hunt its traditional prey or it was forced to new hunting grounds due to humans and simply took an attack of opportunity.

[Lyric Suite]

I cant speak for every case but when these type attacks occur its usually because either the animal itself was hurt/sick and unable to hunt its traditional prey or it was forced to new hunting grounds due to humans and simply took an attack of opportunity.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That lady must have rolled a natural 20. Ok, i suck at humor... :ph34r:

Edited January 26, 2007 by Lyric Suite

[astr0creep]

Did the lion drop any l00t?

[Wistrik]

Why do cougars attack groups of humans, are they stupid ?, I mean they are smallish cats and predators usually don't try to take on anything that can fight back, if a predator  gets injured it can't hunt and will likely die.

 

Perhaps it sensed they were weak somehow, or felt its territory threatened.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Big cats are somewhat secretive, but by no means cowardly. In the animal kingdom when a weak animal falls to a predator, others in the animal's group run for safety. Note in the article that the cougar attacked the man who was following behind his wife; the cougar apparently sized the man up and felt he was the weaker of the two, and then did what cougars naturally do. The fact that it was a pair of humans made no difference, as cougars (and other large cats) often attack creatures larger than themselves. The cougar had no reason to think the man's wife would stay and fight, as that is not the normal course of things in the animal world.

 

The cougar is a predator doing what predators do. When humans invade cougar territory, they often drive away the cougars' prey. This leads to trouble because humans fall within the size range of a cougar's prey. Thus it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone when these attacks occur. Alas, ignorant people assume wildlife will adapt to their presence, and people will continue to die as a result. Despite that, it is the wildlife that loses in the long run, as humans continue to mercilessly exploit and mismanage the earth.

 

Hmmm, I could have been a ranger or druid.

[Sand]

It is unfortunate that the animals they did find were killed.

[Darth Drabek]

Conventionally, pumas generally avoid humans. It's possible that the one that attacked the old fella was sick, like Gfted1 said earlier. The oldsters were hiking in a national park, I believe, so a squeezed habitat shouldn't be the culprit here.

[Volourn]

"But I'm saying nobody can blame the cats."

 

Sure we can. They attacked, and tried to eat the senior citzen(s). they prey fought back. the lion lost. I blame the lion for being a pathetic hunter who coudln't even kill old geezers who ar elikely to die of a heart attack or some other old geezer illness within the next 5 years. R00fles! What a pathetic hunter. At least scout out what you ar ehunting.

 

Animals beware: There's a reasons why humans dominate the Earth despite there being animals physically more powerful than us. It's not by luck. These two beat the lion with a cane and a pen. Geez. This poor lion would have not stood a chance at all if an actual human wepaonj like a gun was involved.

 

I have no mercy for animals when they foolishly attack humans and lose nor would I feel mercy for humans who attack animals and lose.

Edited January 26, 2007 by Volourn

[Walsingham]

Damn. Now that

[Darth Drabek]

Damn. Now that

[Walsingham]

Two bits of wordplay not yet used:

 

The pen IS mightier than the sword

 

catfight!

[Gorgon]

Thats probably because they're stupid

[astr0creep]

"But I'm saying nobody can blame the cats."

 

Sure we can. They attacked, and tried to eat the senior citzen(s). they prey fought back. the lion lost. I blame the lion for being a pathetic hunter who coudln't even kill old geezers who ar elikely to die of a heart attack or some other old geezer illness within the next 5 years. R00fles! What a pathetic hunter. At least scout out what you ar ehunting.

 

Animals beware: There's a reasons why humans dominate the Earth despite there being animals physically more powerful than us. It's not by luck. These two beat the lion with a cane and a pen. Geez. This poor lion would have not stood a chance at all if an actual human wepaonj like a gun was involved.

 

I have no mercy for animals when they foolishly attack humans and lose nor would I feel mercy for humans who attack animals and lose.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

[Hildegard]

Rubish

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Yeah, he can be very amusing from time to time. :D

Edited January 26, 2007 by Hildegard

[Darth Drabek]

Two bits of wordplay not yet used:

 

The pen IS mightier than the sword

 

catfight!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Gah... I should have thought of that first one. I haven't seen the second in any headlines yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[Kor Qel Droma]

I heard the word catfight from another thread. Where are they?

[WinterSun]

Old people are kind of scrawny and bony, aren't they? I can't see the lion getting much of meal out of them.