Utah cougar stalking video teaches wildife safety lessons four years later

With one weekend left of the Utah State Fair , you still have a chance to see a surprisingly-chatty corner in the wildlife exhibit.

What's inside: In the state Division of Wildlife Resources building, I saw people clustered around a screen showing videos of "Encounters Gone Wrong" — and one clip in particular drew a crowd.

• In 2020, trail runner Kyle Burgess filmed a cougar in Utah County's Slate Canyon as it pursued him for six minutes, periodically lunging at him and audibly snarling as Burgess continuously tried to back away.

Almost everyone who walked by the four-year-old viral video immediately recognized it and began murmuring about how terrifying the footage was.

The intrigue: Unlike in the other clips — mostly bison charging reckless tourists — Burgess did nothing wrong.

• He left as soon as the cat appeared — but didn't turn his back or scamper off like prey. He tried to deter her by shouting, grunting and making himself look big. He kept eye contact. He stayed on the trail.

Behind the curtain: Burgess had his camera rolling because he had seen what he thought were rare bobcats on the trail — but in fact were the cougar's cubs.

The bottom line: The lion eventually desisted and Burgess escaped unscathed — likely because he kept following the rules for cougar encounters, rather than giving her even more reason to attack.

• Meanwhile, his video has proven to be a phenomenal — and memorable — PSA for wildlife safety.

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