The crouching cougar suddenly springs, its claws unsheathed and its teeth bared. The deer barely registers the attack before it falls to the forest floor, its spinal cord severed. The symmetry of a predator and its prey has a savage beauty that fascinates humans. Yet all too often, humans themselves have become the cougar's prey, especially as more and more people move into areas that lie within cougar range.Puma concolor, known as cougar, catamount, leon, mountain lion, and even "the Lord of stealthy murder," by Theodore Roosevelt, appears poised on the brink of an incredible comeback. After centuries of bounties, poisoning, traps, and outright persecution, many populations of puma once thought extinct may be anything but. And their comeback coincides with the resettlement of humans to the edges of civilization. There, on the fringes, people build homes, encourage "gentle" wildlife to feed near their houses, let pets roam loose, and permit children to play outside. They simply don't know why their dogs and cats go out-and never come back. Some think a cougar can understand that a child is not a chipmunk. They are sadly mistaken.In Cougar Attacks, Kathy Etling stands unflinching before the heated controversy that surrounds the debate over what should be done to protect both humans and cougars. What role do sport hunters play, or wildlife management programs? What is the anatomy of a cougar attack? Etling recounts their history from the earliest reports in the 1830s to today's most recent incidents. She also offers advice on what you can do to protect yourself and your family if you ever encounter one. So pick up the chillingly gripping chronicles of man's terrifying encounterswith one of North America's greatest predators.