Silicon Valley’s Mercury News reports that Pescadero Creek County Park in Northern California is supposed to reopen today after a somewhat bizarre encounter between two hikers and a pair of mountain lions Sunday prompted officials to close it.
Unfortunately there aren’t many details in the report–I’m sure the brothers will tell a hell of a more exciting version of the incident to their grandchildren–but here’s what we know: The two brothers were hiking along at different speeds when one of them was approached by an aggressive lion.
After seeing a lifetime’s worth of anthropomorphous lions in cartoons I think it’s safe to say that the lion, upon seeing the hiker all alone on the trail, licked his chops and said, ‘Check mate, son.’
But mankind soon gained the upper hand when the hiker’s brother came rushing along the path to help. Again, the report is thin on details, but I think it’s safe to assume that at this moment the brothers threw a mean high five while mad-mugging the gigantic cat and saying, ‘Take that to your den and smoke it, lion.’
But then, just as dominance of man over the fury of nature seemed imminent, the men noticed something that would have taken a considerable amount of wind out of their sails: a second lion.
While there is no evidence proving that the lions were also brothers (or even male for that matter), I choose to believe that they were. A Sunday showdown worthy of Daniel and the Lion’s Den was about to begin. It was Brothers vs. Brothers. Man vs. Beast.
According to a report from the California Department of Fish and Game the hiker brothers did mankind proud. Shouting and waving sticks in the air, they stood their ground. After several minutes enduring this pantomime, the lions retreated.
On Monday park wardens gathered up a team of hounds and went lion hunting, but fortunately the animals had already left the park.
Mountain lions are typically solitary animals, traveling in pairs only around the mating season. It’s very likely that the animals weren’t brothers at all, but rather just a couple looking to share a little lion time.
[Via: Mercury News]
Follow me on Twitter @Kyle_Cassidy
Related Posts
No related posts were found.
Kyle,
Great post and thanks for the play by play. I read the original article as well and it was nowhere near as detailed or as entertaining as yours. A+
Derek
Falk Custom Adventures
Thanks for the love, Derek. That was a fun one to write.