Jared Smith panicked when a mountain lion stalking him on the trail suddenly rushed toward him. But experts say he did the right thing by slowly backing away.
A hiker is speaking out about being stalked by a mountain lion while out on the trail in Utah in a terrifying incident captured on camera. Jared Smith slowly backed away from the mountain lion as he filmed it trying to get closer.
You can hear the panic in his voice as he tries to stay calm. Suddenly, the mountain lion charges.
“When you watch the video, my voice cracks, and I sound kind of nervous. I certainly thought it may not end well,” Smith told Inside Edition.
Fortunately, the mountain lion gave up, and Smith made it to safety.
“I ran down the trail to get back to my car. And once I got there, I felt a rush of relief and overwhelming happiness that I was there and safe,” Smith said.
Experts say Smith did the right thing by not running away, which could have led the mountain lion to mistake him for prey.
