Three mountain lions went prowling in broad daylight outside a cabin near South Dakota’s Black Hills. Nest security camera footage caught the three cougars as they walked right up the driveway and to the side of the residence. There were no humans in sight.
South Dakota’s Black Hills are a mountain range containing Black Hills National Forest and, notably, Mount Rushmore and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The area is west of Badlands National Park.
Mountain lions are native to the Black Hills and were once numerous there. Unfortunately, South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks says their numbers dwindled in the 20th century, and the state added the animals to its list of threatened species in the 1970s. Mountain lions are no longer listed as threatened in the state, however, and the population is recovering.
Check out the video posted on YouTube by local news outlet KELOLAND News:
Should these cabin visitors invoke fear? Mountain attacks are relatively rare, but they do occur. A cougar recently attacked two brothers in California, killing one and leaving the other injured.
In another recent incident, a mountain lion attacked a cyclist riding with her four friends in Washington State. The woman survived, thanks to her friends, who put their own lives at risk to get the cougar to release the victim. They then restrained the animal using a bike until help arrived.
Thankfully, in this case, the cougars were just passing by.