Mountain lions terrified of humans: Study

Los Angeles : Mountain lions are so afraid of humans that they flee when they hear our voices, according to a study that suggests the sharp-clawed carnivores are not as bold as their reputation.

The findings are particularly valuable as human development encroaches on lion habitat and drives up the number of human-puma encounters, researchers said.

"We exposed pumas in the Santa Cruz mountains to the sound of human voices to see if they would react with fear and flee, and the results were striking: They were definitely afraid of humans," said Justine Smith, who led the study as a graduate student in University of California (UC), Santa Cruz in the US.

"Fear is the mechanism behind an ecological cascade that goes from humans to pumas to increased puma predation on deer," said Wilmers. "We are seeing that human disturbance - beyond hunting - may alter the ecological role of large carnivores.

As we encroach on lion habitat, our presence will likely affect the link between top predators and their prey," he added.