California Parklands 05-23-22: Eva the Belgian shepherd rescued her owner and survived a cougar attack

Erin Wilson and her 2-year-old Belgian shepherd Eva were out for a walk in Trinity County, some 300 miles north of San Francisco, when a mountain lion attacked Wilson. 

Eva heroically intervened and the cougar turned its attention on the dog, biting her head and refusing to let go. Wilson did everything she could to save her dog, including throwing rocks, gouging the cat’s eyes and flagging down a passerby, who tried using mace. Eventually, Wilson found part of a PVC pipe and after repeatedly hitting the mountain lion, Eva was able to get free.

Although the dog was badly wounded, Eva pulled through, and hundreds of people following the story rallied to help Wilson pay for the veterinary costs. Read it here.

More: 

‘Extremely aggressive’ jumping worms now seen in California. They clone themselves, thrash violently like rattlesnakes when handled and can jump a foot in the air. Now they're here. Read more.
 
Calif. wildfire scars create a mushroom gold rush. Foragers are hiking up mountains, searching the forest understory and peering into burned-out root pits to find toothsome morels. Read more.

Calif.’s new state park is within driving distance of the Bay Area. Dos Rios Ranch is the first new state park in 13 years. Read more.

Calif.’s most visited national park may surprise you. Hint: it’s not Yosemite. Read more.

Last week’s top story:

I got lost in California’s Sierra. Here’s how I got out. SFGATE's David Curran recalls a night of being lost in the Sierra wilderness and shares advice he learned the hard way. Read more.

California Parklands is curated by California Parks editor Ashley Harrell. Contact her at Ashley.Harrell@sfgate.com.