Investigators with Canada Parks had been unable to search out any proof of a mountain lion within the space
Spencer Weilermann shared these two pictures with reporters in February whereas recovering from the alleged cougar assault that he mentioned almost value him his life. Images through YouTube
It’s been nearly a month since a hiker from Calgary single-handedly fought off a mountain lion that attacked him on a path in Banff Nationwide Park. Spencer Weilermann, 23, spoke with a number of information shops concerning the terrifying ordeal, detailing how he grabbed the attacking cougar off his again, punching and kicking it till it ran off into the bushes. Weilermann mentioned he was fortunate to be alive, and he even described the pungent scent of the animal that attempted to kill him that day. The one drawback with Weilermann’s story, in keeping with investigators with Parks Canada, is that the assault by no means truly occurred.
In a press release they shared with Rocky Mountain Outlook on Thursday, officers mentioned they closed their investigation into the alleged assault and that the shortage of proof they discovered was conclusive. Not solely had been investigators unable to search out any tracks or cougar signal, in addition they discovered no cougar DNA on the scene or within the samples they collected.
“Following commonplace protocol, Parks Canada completely searched the world of the reported incident and located no indicators of cougar exercise,” officers mentioned. “Parks Canada has now obtained the lab-tested DNA outcomes, indicating that cougar DNA was not discovered on the samples that had been collected.”
The alleged assault came about on Feb. 12 inside Banff Nationwide Park. Talking with CTV News three days later, Weilermann mentioned he was climbing alone on the Rockbound Lake Trail when he stepped off the path to urinate round 11 a.m. That’s when he claimed the cougar jumped on his again from behind.
“I simply grabbed as a lot hair as I might, chucked it off my shoulder and form of did like a entrance flip, and we tumbled down this hill,” Weilermann mentioned. “It was simply pure adrenaline. I wasn’t pondering. It was simply a direct response to get no matter that is off of me.”
Weilermann mentioned the 2 tumbled greater than 60 ft down a hill, the place he hit his head on a tree or log and briefly misplaced consciousness. He mentioned he remembered “coming to” whereas nonetheless holding onto the mountain lion and “simply punching for [his] life” till the lion gave up and fled. The 23-year-old then hiked again to the trailhead, the place he known as 911 and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
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Parks Canada responded to the reported assault just like the company would with every other reported animal assault. They closed the area to the public and launched a deeper investigation when wildlife officers tried however failed to search out the cougar. After re-opening the path on Feb. 21, officers concluded that the assault Weilermann so vividly described by no means occurred.
It’s unclear why Weilermann would fabricate such a narrative, and he didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. However judging from the interviews he gave final month, he seems to have been both absolutely satisfied of the assault or absolutely dedicated to creating it up. It’s additionally attainable that he was attacked by another animal and misreported it as a cougar.
Images that Weilermann shared with CTV Information present him recovering in a hospital mattress with minor scratches on the aspect of his face. And whereas it’s unclear if investigators thought of these pictures as proof, they’re not precisely indicative of a near-death cougar assault — particularly when in comparison with the ugly facial accidents {that a} 9-year-old lady obtained when she was brutally attacked by a cougar in japanese Washington in 2022.
“It might have gone a thousand methods,” Weilermann instructed the Calgary Herald three weeks earlier than his story was debunked. “I’m glad it ended with me simply being secure and OK.”
This isn’t the primary time that Weilermann has appeared within the information. In December, he spoke with CBC News about how he was dealing with the sudden demise of his 20-month-old son.
“We’re not actually too positive what occurred,” Weilermann mentioned. “Sadly I discovered him there, and did CPR, and we took him to hospital and he simply sadly … stopped respiratory.”
