CAUTION

Terrifying Encounter: Nine-Year-Old Girl and Her Frightened Mother Confront Mountain Lion as It Chases Their Pets Toward the House

A chilling security video captured a wild cougar dashing into a family's yard in Washington state, getting alarmingly close to the residents.

The encounter occurred on Saturday as the Havener family enjoyed the spring weather in their backyard.

April and her husband, Greg, were relaxing on their patio with their nine-year-old daughter and two other family members when they suddenly found themselves in close proximity to the predatory animal.

April, who clutched her pet puppy throughout the ordeal, recounted to KOMO-TV on Tuesday, "I think it was just as shocked to see us as we were to see it."

Her husband Greg, who was washing his car when he encountered the mountain lion, was taken aback by its size. "As I came around the car, it was way bigger than I had anticipated," he said. Realizing the creature's identity took a moment, he admitted, "It was not a bobcat. It took me a few seconds to realize this is very large. It’s a cougar."

He recalled the moment of realization just before his wife ran away. "We all went our separate ways and left it at that," he joked, describing how all five family members, along with their pets, safely retreated inside their Monroe home without harm

Photo: There, April Havener (obscured by the umbrella) was seated with her daughter (seen in pink) and two other relatives
Photo: They quickly came face to face with the more than 200-pound apex predator, which is a rare sight in the region

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