Here kitty kitty

[CalEpic]

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Wildlife officials on Thursday credited a woman with saving her husband's life by clubbing a mountain lion that attacked him while the couple hiked in a California state park.
Jim and Nell Hamm, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next month, were hiking Wednesday in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, 60 miles south of the Oregon state line, when the lion pounced.
"He didn't scream. It was a different, horrible plea for help, and I turned around, and by then the cat had wrestled Jim to the ground," Nell Hamm said in an interview from the hospital.
Jim Hamm was recovering from a torn scalp, puncture wounds and other injuries.
After the attack, game wardens closed the park and released hounds to track the lion. They later shot and killed two lions found near the trail where the attack happened.
The carcasses were flown to a state forensics lab to determine if either animal had mauled the man.
Although the Hamms are experienced hikers, neither had seen a mountain lion before Jim Hamm was mauled, his wife said.
Nell Hamm said she grabbed a 4-inch-diameter log and beat the animal with it, but it would not release its hold on her husband's head.
"Jim was talking to me all through this, and he said, 'I've got a pen in my pocket and get the pen and jab him in the eye,"' she said.
"So I got the pen and tried to put it in his eye, but it didn't want to go in as easy as I thought it would."
When the pen bent and became useless, Nell Hamm went back to using the log. The lion eventually let go and, with blood on its snout, stood staring at the woman. She screamed and waved the log until the animal walked away.
"She saved his life, there is no doubt about it," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game.
Nell Hamm, 65, said she was afraid to leave her dazed, bleeding husband alone, so the couple walked a quarter-mile to a trail head, where she gathered branches to protect them if more lions came around. They waited until a ranger came by and summoned help.
"My concern was to get Jim out of there," she said. "I told him, 'Get up, get up, walk,' and he did."
Jim Hamm, 70, was in fair condition Thursday. He had to have his lips stitched and underwent surgery for other lacerations on his head and body.
He told his wife he still wants to make the trip to New Zealand they planned for their anniversary, she said.
Nell Hamm warned people never to hike in the backcountry alone. Park rangers told the couple if Jim Hamm had been alone, he probably would not have survived.
"We fought harder than we ever have to save his life, and we fought together," she said.

[tkblazer]

thats a hell of a story dood..

edit, found a pic of the dood... ouch

[allison]

I read that this morning. Pretty crazy story.

[P-Funk]

Man, that's crazy! She poked the lion in the eye with a pen and it bent the pen? That's hardcore. I can't believe the guy had the where-with-all to talk to her while the lion is chewing on his head.

[andino]

wow that's some crazy stuff. and the pen bent?! she mustn't of hit the eye right or so something cuz that's nuts

[Pain Freak]

There's not a one of us that couldn't be killed at ate by a mountain lion.

I was told by a ranger two years ago this was going to happen. There are enviornmental groups who want the lion population left alone and they tend to state that there are far fewer then there really are. We are not encroaching on their territory as much as there is an overpopulation now of these lovely animals. More are killed now by motorists then ever were by hunters.

[boboso]

Typically the mountain lion required a large range or area to call "theirs". When cubs were born, and matured they left the area to find one of their own. In some areas they are "adapting" to a new environment which does not require them to be as spread out as they once were. Food sources are available and in some cases easier.

A good read on this is "The Beast in the Garden" http://www.beastinthegarden.com/ which documents the area around Boulder Colorado and their incidents regarding mountain lions.

My personal thoughts are "be aware" and educate yourself. I scuba dive as well and you have to accept a whole other world, and the risks that are part of it. Hiking, camping, riding, pending location has its risks as well. Though rare, they are there. I love seeing animals in a natural setting and would consider myself luck to see one someday. Of course, when you see them... Not called "ghost of the woods" for nothing.

I am working at the Aliso Museum this weekend (Sunday) and cannot wait to field the questions from visitors. At least I can provide some factual information to them.

One guy asked me the other week about the lion display (stuffed juvi lion) that if one attacked him, no problemo. I reminded him of the 110lbs weight sets we used to buy in a box. Told him to attach some claws and teeth to it, teach it how to bite and have someone throw it 15 feet at him. They were made to do this.

This gents wife did the right thing and said the right thing after the attack:

"The Hamms are speaking with the media about the attack, Nell said, to make sure other hikers know to be aware of the forest and the animals in it.

When they moved to the area, she said, they spoke with a park ranger to learn how best to handle meeting a bear or a mountain lion in the woods.

“That is the most important thing I’ve ever learned in my life,” Nell said. “That saved Jim’s life.”