A Cody man said a mountain lion “knocked me on my ass” after he kicked it in the face to save his 2-year-old Labrador named Diesel late Saturday along the South Fork Road.
On the ground, “we tussled for maybe 20 seconds. I was trying to punch him (the mountain lion), and he was swiping at me,” Adam Borkhus told Cowboy State Daily.
After the brief fight, the mountain lion fled. It was a juvenile, “maybe about the same size as my dog,” Borkhus said.
The fight started when Borkhus heard Diesel “yelp” and found his dog struggling with the mountain lion on top of him.
Borkhus said he suffered minor scratches to his face, hands, and arms.
Diesel escaped unscathed.
Asked if the dog seemed upset or skittish after the ordeal, Borkhus replied, "Nope. He’s just his own dumb self.”
'He Was As Scared As I Was'
Borkhus loaded Diesel into his vehicle and headed out to the South Fork near Cody on Saturday, hoping to get some photographs of elk.
Grizzlies are plentiful in the area, so as he always does, Borkhus was carrying bear spray and a pistol.
As they neared their destination, he stopped and let Diesel out “to go pee," and the dog scampered out past the front of the vehicle.
When he heard his dog’s yelps, Borkhus ran to investigate and found Diesel trying to battle the angry cat.
Because the two animals were entangled, Borkhus didn’t use his bear spray or his firearm, out of fear of hitting Diesel.
“There wasn’t time to think. The scariest part about it was being afraid for my dog,” he said.
So, he strode in and kicked the mountain lion, which instantly turned on him.
“I’m 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, and that cat couldn’t have been more than 70 pounds,” he said. “He hit me in the chest and put me right down. That thing was strong.”
Even so, “I think he was just as scared as I was,” and Borkhus said he was thankful when the mountain lion quickly broke contact and ran away.
As for Diesel, his heroics were somewhat lacking.
“He ran back to the frickin’ car. And he was sitting there, like, 'We need to go,'" Borkhus said.
Attack in Heavy Cover
Borkhus called Game and Fish after the incident, and personnel were sent to investigate.
Game and Fish confirmed the report of an attack on a dog “in heavy cover, right along the South Fork Rd. near the Deer Creek Trailhead” and then a subsequent attack on a person.
“Based on the investigation, this is most likely a case of a surprise encounter with a mountain lion that led to aggressive-defensive behavior by the mountain lion,” according to a statement from Game and Fish. "Game and Fish personnel responded that evening but could not locate the mountain lion, and a subsequent search of the area yielded no sign of the mountain lion. The department will continue to monitor the area.”
Excruciating Rabies Shots
Rabies is practically unheard of in mountain lions, but out of an abundance of caution doctors insisted Borkhus get a series of four rabies vaccine shots.
He was halfway through the series on Thursday and said the rabies shots are excruciating.
He also got a tetanus booster shot and “an antibiotic infusion and oral antibiotics that look like they’re for a horse,” he said. “Between the shots and getting knocked on my ass, it hurt to cough for a few days.”
Mountain Lion Learns Lesson
Fauna Tomlinson, a volunteer board member with the Mountain Lion Foundation, told Cowboy State Daily the description of Borkhus and Diesel’s ordeal tracks with the behavior of an inexperienced mountain lion caught by surprise.
She recommends using bear spray in such situations even if it means hitting a pet but noted that Borkhus’ response was impressive.
“Getting close enough to kick a lion, that must have been quite the experience,” she said.
A cat that small might still be with its mother, as mountain lions typically don’t separate from their mothers until they are about age 2 and nearly fully grown, she said.
The mother might have left the youngster in the thick cover while she went off to hunt, Tomlinson said.
She added that the juvenile mountain lion is probably wiser for the experience.
“This lion probably learned a valuable lesson: To stay even further away from humans,” she said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
