Published September 28, 2026 01:49PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How We Reported This Story:<\/strong> Outside<\/em> interviewed wildlife photographer Adam Borkhus to get a firsthand account of his encounter with a mountain lion in the Wyoming wilderness. We also spoke with a researcher from the Mountain Lion Foundation to contextualize the rarity of cougar attacks and provide expert advice on backcountry safety.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n On the evening of September 19, amateur wildlife photographer Adam Borkhus was looking for elk on a remote road outside Cody, Wyoming. He pulled over to change camera lenses and let his two-year-old Labrador retriever, Diesel, out of the car. Within seconds, he heard the dog yelp.<\/p>\n Borkhus, 33, ran into the thick brush and found a mountain lion on top of his dog in a surprise attack.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was fighting against the cat,\u201d Borkhus told Outside<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a dog in a fight\u2014I don\u2019t think he was sure what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Borkhus was out on a photography trip near the Thoroughfare Valley, a wilderness area near the southern end of Yellowstone National Park and Teton Wilderness. Search and rescue experts told Outside <\/em>that the are is considered one of the most remote places in the Lower 48. Borkhus said he\u2019d seen grizzlies in the area, but never mountain lions.<\/p>\n He was carrying a firearm and bear spray, but deploying either meant potentially hurting Diesel, too. Borkhus, who is 6-foot-3-inches and 300 pounds, kicked the mountain lion in the face.<\/p>\n His hit landed, but it\u00a0only redirected the cat\u2019s attention away from Diesel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lion spun around and looked at me,\u201d Borkhus said. \u201cThen it pounced and hit me in the chest.\u201d<\/p>\n Borkhus landed on his back, using one hand to keep the 70-pound cat\u2019s teeth away while punching it with the other. Eventually Borkhus caught its ear\u2014the only safe point he could find to grab hold. He wrenched the skin as hard as he could, and the lion ran off into the brush.<\/p>\n The entire encounter lasted roughly 20 to 30 seconds.<\/p>\n Borkhus escaped with scratches to his hands, forearm, and face, none of which required stitches. Diesel was waiting out the fight at the truck\u2019s tailgate, uninjured. After confirming Diesel was safe, Borkhus bandaged his cuts and drove roughly an hour back to Cody.<\/p>\n According to Borkhus, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD<\/a>) returned to the area and determined the cat was likely a juvenile based on its behavior. Outside<\/em> contacted Wyoming Game and Fish for a copy of the incident report but had not received a response as of this writing. We will update the story if we receive a response.<\/p>\n Mountain lions live throughout the state and are the \u201cmost elusive of the state\u2019s large carnivores,\u201d WGFD writes on its website.<\/p>\n Joshua Lisbon<\/a>, a researcher with the Mountain Lion Foundation<\/a>, told Outside<\/em> that these types of attacks are \u201cextremely rare,\u201d and the state has never recorded a fatal mountain lion attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about as rare an encounter as you can have,\u201d Lisbon said. \u201cSeveral unpredictable, random choices collided to produce an outcome on par with being struck by lightning\u2014or maybe winning a lottery that you didn\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s true across most of the West. In January 2026, a mountain lion killed a 46-year-old hiker on Colorado\u2019s Crosier Mountain Trail, the state\u2019s first fatal mountain lion attack in more than 25 years. A mountain lion killed a 21-year-old man in 2024 and seriously injured his brother in Northern California, marking California\u2019s first fatal attack in 20 years. And in 2019, a Colorado trail runner\u00a0killed an attacking cougar with his bare hands.<\/p>\n The cat\u2019s young age may help explain how those circumstances turned into a fight, Lisbon said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it was preying on Diesel,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it was a surprising, defensive behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Borkhus agrees, and said that the cougar seemed equally as surprised as he was by the attack.<\/p>\n \u201cThat cat was like, \u2018My god, what is happening?\u2019\u201d Borkhus said of the moment he arrived to defend Diesel. \u201cWhat is this giant Sasquatch that I\u2019m fighting with?\u201d<\/p>\n Dog owners can reduce the risk of wildlife encounters by keeping dogs leashed or under strong voice control in the wilderness, Lisbon said. If a mountain lion grabs a pup, Lisbon says to grab for bear spray rather than jump into the fight, even if that means spraying the dog, too.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could bear spray both the dog and the cougar, and it would most likely end the encounter,\u201d Lisbon said. \u201cYou would then have a very unhappy dog that you would need to tend to, but if it\u2019s life or death, then it\u2019s worth it.\u201d Bear spray affects the mucous membranes and can cause pain and the eyes to close and tear up, according to BearWise<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cResist the urge to rub, that will intensify the effects,\u201d BearWise writes on its website. \u201cEffects should wear off in about 45 minutes. Bear spray is oil-based, so wash with soap and water if you get bear spray on your skin, clothing or equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n If a mountain lion attacks a person, WGFD says to fight back rather than play dead. Get big, be loud, and try to intimidate the animal to scare them off.<\/p>\n A potential encounter shouldn\u2019t deter people from recreating outside, Lisbon says. Rather, it\u2019s an opportunity to practice backcountry safety.<\/p>\n \u201cBe safe in wild places,\u201d he said. \u201cTake knowledge, skill, and bear spray with you. But you don\u2019t need to take fear with you.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Borkhus and Diesel, they\u2019re working together to prepare for the upcoming Wyoming hunting season.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you live in Northwest Wyoming,\u201d Borkhus said, \u201cif you\u2019re scared of the wildlife, you might as well move.\u201d<\/p>\n Diesel appears to have a new outlook on life as well.<\/p>\n \u201cHe actually seems to like our cats more after this,\u201d Borkhus said.<\/p>\nAn \u201cExtremely Rare\u201d Attack<\/h2>\n
What to Do in a Mountain Lion Attack<\/h2>\n
Stay Safe in the Backcountry<\/h2>\n