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A pair of terrified bikers broke out in prayer while a mountain lion stalked them on a California trail. A male and female cyclist were on the Dreaded Hill trail in Lake Forest, about 20 minutes outside of Irvine, on Sunday afternoon when they spotted the animal hiding in the bushes. The mountain lion was seen crouching down in greenery along the dirt trail before it suddenly jumped out and trotted toward the bikers. As the wild animal got closer, Elizabeth Granados, one of the bikers, started to pray in an effort to ward it off. 'Oh Lord, protect us in the name of Jesus, bring the blood of Jesus over us,' she said as the mountain lion got closer. 'Bring you angels to surround us, Lord and protect us in Jesus' name,' Granados added before screaming as they continued to walk backwards. She and the other biker continued to back up from the animal, which at times appeared to speed up and slow down in their direction. 'Go away!,' Granados shouted as the man repeatedly said: 'This motherf***er.' Towards the end of the clip, music, seemingly played by the bikers, was heard in the background while the wild cat kept its eyes on them. The mountain lion then got close to the grass and stared at the bikers for a moment before walking toward them again, this time down a hill. 'No! Go away!,' they shouted as they continued to keep their distance from the animal and the video ended. Thankfully, the cyclists were not injured and made it out safely from the scary encounter. Afterwards, Granados recalled the feelings she and the other biker were going through while the animal eyed them up. 'The biggest thing is we don't want to give it our backs,' she told KTLA5, referring to not wanting to turn their backs on the mountain lion. 'The predator instincts come in and then we look like prey, and we didn't want to be prey that day,' Granados added, laughing a little bit. Following the incident, the park closed down due to 'recent mountain lion activity,' Orange County said on its website. The county made it clear that although mountain lion sightings are not uncommon in the area, the 'behavior exhibited in these encounters' made officials wary enough to close the park. 'OC Parks is working closely with wildlife researchers and biologists from UC Davis Wildlife Health Center to gather information about the animal and better understand its behavior, including deploying cameras to monitor activity and looking for evidence of the mountain lion within the park such as recent animal tracks and scat,' the county said, adding that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has also gotten involved. It is unclear if the closure was taking place to allow the wild animals to leave or if wildlife safety enforcement efforts would take place. Scientists from the UC Davis Wildlife Center told the outlet the animal was definitely a juvenile, but could not determine if it was a male or female. The experts think the mountain lion's behavior was more about curiosity and not aggression. Still, Granados said she and the other biker remained vigilant the entire time, especially after a mountain biker was killed in the same area by a cougar in 2004. 'The consequences - if it would've attacked us, it could've been bad,' Granados stated. 'I know there was a mountain biker killed her about 20 years ago, I also know there were two other females that were attacked, so I knew the consequences could've been pretty bad.' People who encounter mountain lions are encouraged not to run, and instead, make a lot of noise and try to appear bigger than the animal in a bid to get them to back off. Officials said Granados and her fellow bike did exactly that. It also recommended to keep objects in between them and the wild cats. In this case the cyclists used their bikes as shields. Officials recommend that people avoid hiking, biking, or doing any outdoor activities in areas where mountain lions roam by themselves, and instead stay in groups.
