These pics came from AZ. Yes the Mule, killed the mountain lion. The lion had been stalking them for the better part of the morning, on the way out to a hunt. They were pretty sure it was after a dog. The cat apparently ambushed them, and the mule pictured tossed its rider and went into attack (defense) mode, the horses scattered and shots were fired but no one was sure if they hit the cat or not. Unfortunately, the battle was decently long, and it wasn't until it was almost over that one of the guys started snapping pics.
Miz Ellen commentary:
a) Dogs are frequent
prey for cougars out west.
b) Human beings are not a deterrent--several recent cases of hikers or in one
case a mountain biker being attacked and killed, often in areas that are fairly
urban.
c) Looks like a big cougar, and not skinny
d) All visible injuries look fresh, and mule inflicted
e) I suspect the cougar regarded the dogs as easy meat, and figured it was
faster than the humans could react. Its behavior has to be regarded as normal.
I would have expected the mule to bolt with the horses. This particular mule
reacted differently. I have seen several instances where a dominant horse would
drive away a dog or a coyote. These animals had the sense to run away when
galloped at. I suspect the cougar didn't have a chance to run, and it was on
the ground where its teeth and claws were no match for hooves. It would have to
leap up to get at anything vital on the mule and once off the ground, it could
be slammed down again. Gives you a notion of how a trained stallion could be a
potent weapon on the medieval battlefield--like a siege tower. The cougar would
have had to get on the mule's back to be safe and to be in a position to do
damage--I was told once, and always remember, that when I sit on my horse's
back, he is trusting me with his life because I occupy one of two spots where a
predator can take him down. That said, the mule's body language is interesting
because it looks very much as if it "knows" what it is doing -- i.e. I'm going
to kill this dammed cougar and make sure it is dead. It wasn't looking for
human help either...I think the dynamics of this situation are in the mindset of
the mule and not the physical deficiency of the cougar.