[Granville-Hough] 23 Feb 2009 - Mule Bites Mountain Lion Mule Bites Mountain Lion - 23 Feb 2009

[Trustees and Executors for Granville W. Hough]

A Northern California paper carried a story about a mountain lion
attacking a mule; and the mule fought back and bit the lion so badly
that the lion limped away.  My son David asked me if it could be
true, and here was my answer:

    "I never had the slightest fear a mule would bite me.  I would be
more likely to bite it.  A mule will step on your feet, bump you
intentionally, squeeze you up against a wall, paw you with  front feet,
or kick  you with back feet, and they can kick forward with one foot  or
backward with both.  I have seen  them bite each other on the top of
their neck in their play fighting  or in their  sex  play.  but biting
in a fight for life, I never saw.  I would suspect the lion is stuffed,
and stuffed  with something the mule wants to eat. Of course, my close
observation is from about 30 mules who were very domesticated work
animals.
	One thing you must learn about mules is that they will not follow you 
if you look at them.  What you have to do is turn away and look where 
you are going and the mule will follow you, or even a small child.  You 
learn this at an early age.  The other thing about leading a mule is 
that if he or she stops, you had better look carefully down the way you 
were going.  The mule may be seeing a danger you missed."