‘It was really scary’: North Bend cougar victim shares story of survival
Mar 17, 2024, 11:53 PM
Keri Bergere described being attacked by a young cougar and her escape from the animal. (Image courtesy of 成人X站 7)
(Image courtesy of 成人X站 7)
NORTH BEND, Wash. 鈥� Hers is an incredible story of survival. An avid cyclist is reliving the moment last month when she was attacked by a cougar.
Her recovery documented day by day in these photos. The 60-year-old Kenmore woman making no bones about it saying it鈥檚 a miracle she survived. She credits the four female cyclists with her for saving her life.
They teamed up to get the cougar to let her go and held him down until help could arrive. This happened in North Bend.
This story is so frightening, but she is taking it all in stride.
Previous coverage: Woman recovering after being mauled by cougar northeast of Fall City
She and her cycling friends were 19 miles into the woods here on the west slope of the cascades when a cougar ambushed her out of nowhere.
鈥淗e had a tooth in my temple here and a tooth under my chin,鈥� said Keri Bergere, pointing to her face. 鈥淎nd then he reached and grabbed my ear.鈥�
Bergere is describing the most frightening moment of her life. A young cougar, without warning, knocked her off her bicycle, then clamped his mouth firmly on her right jaw.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 pry it open,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had my (neck) like this. And I was trying to pull his mouth open which was like a vise, was not moving. And then I was sticking my fingers up his nose and trying to poke his eye out. But his skin was like leather. You couldn鈥檛 even get in there.鈥�
It had been a normal outing for her and four friends, all females cyclists. They had a permit to ride the trail on land owned by Campbell Global. And they had done it many times.
But that February day everyone had to jump into action to ensure it wouldn鈥檛 be Bergere鈥檚 last.
鈥淭he whole time, my friends are like hitting it, pulling the paws away, trying to drag it off of me,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou know, stabbing it with a little multi tool. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all we had for weapons.鈥�
She was asked if he released her at some point?
鈥淪o, he didn鈥檛,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut for many minutes it was just still, nothing moved. But them something happened and he crushed. And I could feel my teeth floating in my mouth. I was swallowing massive amounts of blood. And I thought I was going to die.鈥�
Without warning, he let go. Her friends sprang into action.
鈥淎nd then they eventually put a bike on top of him and then pinned him down with the bike,鈥� said. 鈥淪mart, quick thinking women.鈥�
For which, she says, she is most thankful.
鈥淗earing all of the women, rushing in, heroically, without hesitation, fighting it,鈥� she marveled. 鈥淭hey were just fierce. I can鈥檛 express the gratitude, the magnitude of what they did. It was just beyond belief.鈥�
Beyond belief, indeed.
She says she didn鈥檛 lose her teeth after all. She thinks she was feeling her bones being crushed. She says she has some nerve damage in her face. Otherwise she is doing remarkably well.
And she says she will come back here. The five of them have talked about bringing a knife next time. They are debating whether to bring a firearm, too. Some of them adamantly oppose that.
But all of them want to be better prepared. She says they want to make sure they never again face death like this.
