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What Went Wrong in Washington's Fatal Cougar Attack?

The mountain bikers attacked this week near North Bend did almost everything right--except run.

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Mountain lion baring teeth
California Department of Fish and Game

In an extremely rare incident, a mountain lion killed a cyclist this week near North Bend, Washington. Though the two people attacked did almost everything right–trying to scare it away and appear large–the woman who died ran from the big cat. Biologists think this triggered the cougar’s attack response. Read on for more tips on dealing with an encounter with one of California’s mountain lions. 

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