Woman on walk safe: I met wild cougar

There is no doubt in Marianne Westphall.

The 70-year-old retiree from the Old Rye in east Jutland got himself Sunday afternoon a bit of a fright when she suddenly faced a potentially deadly cougar. The medium-sized cat crossed Marianne Westphalls way, since she is in a clearing to the north of Hejnæsvej 5 at the Old Rye Sunday around the clock 14.40 at once gaped and was frightened at the sight of the animal, which usually never find themselves in the Danish forests.

- I could not put the name of the beast, but since I had seen pictures of a cougar on the internet and talked the situation through with my daughter, who has seen a cougar on a run in the mountains of Madrid, I was not at all in doubt, says Marianne Westphall to Ekstra Bladet.

Marianne Westphall seems like a interview about the experience in order to warn the others, but she does not want to be photographed, because, as she says, not to act about her, but about it at once dangerous and fascinating predators.

- the Image of the pumaen never disappear from my mind, and I still get heart palpitations when I think of the experience, says Marianne Westphall.

Marianne Westphall has described his shock - and skrækoplevelse on the social media, like this:

'a Warning to runners in the forests.

Cougar?

Big cat the size of a lioness, about 70 centimeters high, brownish-gray, darker stripes on the neck, round ears, long tail. the
I was surprised at the sight of the Sunday afternoon in the big clearing to the north of Hejnæsvej 5. When it saw me, it went watchfully nearer, and lay and looked at me. I was scared, I thought that if I ran away, it would run after me like prey, so I stepped forward and jumped elegantly over the clearing and into the forest. Phew-ha. With heart thumping, I called 1812, the Animal control center, gave up his position and described the animal and was redirected to politicentral in Copenhagen, imagined that a hundepatrulje be able to ferret out the. But would apparently none of the parties make a move, other than to thank you for the notification.
None of the surrounding had seen the animal. the
emailed to Bengt Holst, the ZOO, hoping to get clarity. the
Will contact lokalpolitiet in the morning, Monday.

NO PANIC, but for safety's sake: do not let children walk alone in the forests.

Marianne Westphall'.

The elderly woman from the Old Rye goes on almost daily trips in the area, where she believes she saw pumaen, and she will continue.

Marianne Westphall imagines that pumaen have come illegally to Denmark as a dear little kitten, and then either escaped or been let loose by its owner, which has been unable to handle it as an adult. The owner has in their nature, then gone quiet with the doors of fear to be revealed.

- I really hope not, it will now be shot or brought into captivity, but people should of course be warned so they can take their own precautions, says Marianne Westphall.

On the question what she says, that many have reacted by not believing in her and by, for example, to say that it must have been a mårhund, she saw, corresponds Marianne Westphall confidently:

- They must say and think what they will. I am sure that I saw a cougar.

***

the Zoo-director: Unlikely

Scientific director of Copenhagen Zoo and chairman of The animal ethical Council Bengt Holst believes that there is a 'very small likelihood', that there actually is an untethered cougar in the east jutland forests of Old Rye.

- I just don't believe that it would be unnoticed, if someone suddenly stood and lacked a cougar. And it was the case, you have a duty to report it to the authorities, says Bengt Holst to Ekstra Bladet.

Pumaerne live in North and south America and is thus not in Denmark or Europe and have never done it.

- Who has through the years been several examples of danes, who, like Marianne Westphall has felt convinced that they have seen a cougar, but it's never been confirmed, says Bengt Holst.

Bengt Holst, scientific director of the Zoological Garden in Copenhagen, denmark, believes that it is unlikely that it was a cougar, Marianne Westphall so for a couple of days ago in a forest at the Old Rye. Photo: Louise Herrche Serup

The famous zoo director and animal lover, however, will not just categorically reject that Marianne Westphall could be right. And shows her theory out to be really about to pumaen have come illegally to Denmark as a dear kitten and since has grown out of the hands of its owner, so, according to Bengt Holst good reason to find and defuse it.

- It is a dangerous animal, which does not belong to the Danish countryside. It is an invasive species, which can do more harm than good, and you have an obligation to fight it, if you look at it in the Danish nature.

Pumaen can run up to 50 km/h., jump six feet from a standing position, 13 meters in speed as well as 2.5 metres up in the air. They weigh often over 70 kilos.