PROVO, Utah — A Utah man’s video of a frightening weekend encounter with a cougar is going viral.
According to KSL and the Deseret News, Kyle Burgess was running alone in Slate Canyon on Saturday when he crossed paths with what he believed were bobcats. But after he started filming the animals, he quickly learned that they were actually cougar cubs when their mother made an appearance, the outlets reported.
“Go away! Go away!” Burgess shouts in a video that shows the mother mountain lion angrily following him for nearly six minutes. Later, he adds, “I don’t feel like dying today.”
Near the end of the clip, the cougar finally turns and flees when Burgess throws a rock.
By Tuesday morning, the video had been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube and Instagram.
>> Click here to watch (WARNING: Linked video contains profanity. Viewer discretion advised.)
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spokesperson Scott Root told KSL that Burgess had the right idea when he slowly backed away from the cougar.
“He didn’t turn around and run, which is the right thing,” Root told the news outlet. “He made lots of noise, and he didn’t crouch or do anything to look smaller. You want to look real big.”
Root also recommended against hiking alone, KSL reported.
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