During Monday meteor shower, 2 mountain lions follow women on Arkansas hiking trail

Two mountain lions were encountered by hikers during Monday night's meteor shower at a state park in Arkansas, about two-and-a-half hours south of Springfield.

Candy Wilkins and Karlee Roth of Russellville, Arkansas, encountered two mountain lions at Hawksbill Crag at Whitaker Point in Newton County, Arkansas on Monday around 9:30-10 p.m. In a post made to Facebook on Tuesday, Wilkins said the mountain lions followed her and Roth about 1.5 miles back to their vehicle and at one point stopped within 10 feet of them.

Speaking to the News-Leader on Wednesday, Wilkins said she and Roth spotted the first mountain lion crouched behind a boulder at Hawksbill Crag. The women caught the big cat's eyes in the lights of their headlamps and began to to retreat back to their vehicle.

For the first half mile back to the vehicle, the women kept a close eye on the mountain lion in the distance but eventually lost track of it. Following a short breather, the women realized that they were joined by two mountain lions, standing only about 10 feet away from them.

"They paced in front of each other and then one went low to the ground," Wilkins told the News-Leader via Facebook Messenger. "They were in (the) brush, so we didn't see the full extent of their entire form, but there was no mistake in what were seeing from their head and what we could make out of their large bodies."

Continuing their trek back to their vehicle, the women sidestepped away from the mountain lions and yelled at them, attempting to appear large. Wilkins said the mountain lions did not scream or make aggressive sounds and were not deterred by the women's yelling.

What should you do if you spot a mountain lion?

In the state of Missouri, there is no substantive evidence that mountain lions have attacked people, pets or livestock, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation . In fact, people are at a greater risk to be harmed in traffic, by stray dogs or lighting strikes.

The Missouri Department of Conservation offers the following advice for encounters with mountain lions, depending on where the animals are spotted:

• More than 100 yards away and moving back: Keep children where they can be observed;
• 100-500 yards away, various movements and attention away from people: Remain calm and do not approach; avoid rapid movements and running; make presence known; slowly back away from animal;
• In a tree: Leash dogs; move away from the tree until out of sight; allow the animal to escape;
• 50-100 yards away, various movements, attention toward people or following people: Hold small children and keep older children close; assume standing position; do not turn back to animal, look for sticks, rocks or other weapons to use in aggressive posture; do your best to appear large and threatening;
• 25-50 yards away, intense staring and hiding coupled with crouching and or creeping toward people: Move slowly behind trees or boulders but do not lose sight of animal; make menacing sounds and throw things at the animal if it is close enough to hit;
• 25 yards or closer, tail twitching with body and head low to ground, rear legs may be gently pumping to treading up and down: Prepare to defend yourself using whatever weapons are available. Pepper spray may be the most effective if the animal is close and downwind.

Mountain lions are protected under the provisions of the "Wildlife Code," but if a mountain lion is attempting to attack people, domesticated animals or livestock, lethal action is permitted. If a mountain lion is killed during an act of self defense, the kill must be reported to the Missouri Department of Conservation .

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How do you report a mountain lion sighting?

The Missouri Department of Conservation's Large Carnivore Response Team only conducts field investigations for reports that involve human safety or where there is substantial evidence, such as livestock damage, wildlife kill, scat or hair directly linked to a sighting, or confirmed tracks.

Mountain lion tracks should be photographed then covered with a bucket or similar device.

To report a mountain lion, contact the Large Carnivore Response Team by email at mountain.lion@mdc.mo.gov or by mail to the below addresses:

Nate Bowersock, Furbearer Biologist at 3500 E. Gans Road Columbia, MO 65201 or Alan Leary, Wildlife Management Coordinator at 2901 W. Truman Boulevard PO BOX 180 Jefferson City, MO 65109.

Submit photos, videos or physical evidence, if mailing in-person.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com .

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: During Monday meteor shower, 2 mountain lions follow women on Arkansas hiking trail