Woman Saves Friend in Cougar Attack

A group of Seattle-area cyclists helped one of their friends escape the jaws of a cougar saying they fought the cat and pinned it down. On Feb. 17 on a trail northeast of Fall City, Washington, Keri Bergere had been attacked by a cougar. She sustained neck and face injuries and was treated at a hospital for five days and was still recovering. Three of the riders — Bergere, Annie Bilotta and Tisch Williams. who have bicycled together for five years and ride competitively, said they were about 19 miles into a trek, near the Tokul Creek biking trails, when a pair of cougars suddenly ran up and one of them grabbed Bergere and dragged her off her bicycle. The other cat ran off, while the four riders with Bergere performed a counterattack to save her from the grips of the cougar’s jaws, which at that point were around her face and exerting pressure. For a time it seemed that the cat wouldn’t back down as Bergere pitched in by doing anything she could, including poking at its eyes and nose. However, after about 15 minutes, the cat weakened pressure on Bergere, and she was able to slide her face out of its jaws. At that, the women used a bicycle to pin the mountain lion down while help was on the way. Bergere was nearby, injured but alive. Fish and Wildlife officers fatally shot the cougar and removed it for examination, later concluding that it had no diseases or abnormalities that might contribute to such a provocation. Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/women-pinned-cougar-hand-hand-combat-friend-tr apped-jaws-rcna143806