WATCH: Automatic Doors Startle Mountain Lion at Arizona Resort

Wild video caught the moment an Arizona mountain lion was startled after walking past automatic sliding doors at a luxury resort earlier this week.

The video, released by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), shows the animal moseying toward the doors at the 398-room Loews Canyon resort in Tuscon on Monday. The automatic doors fly open, which panicked the big cat and sent it fleeing.

“Its age and startle response suggest that it was just learning its way around and not dangerous,” the AZGFD said in a Facebook post. “Mtn. lions are common in the Sabino Canyon area, but incidents are few.”

Arizona is home to some 2,000-2,700 mountain lions, the AZGFD noted. They live throughout the state but are most commonly found in rocky and mountainous habitats. The cats can grow anywhere from 5.5 feet to over 8 feet long and between 25 and 32 inches tall while weighing in the range of 75-150 pounds.

Their lifespan averages about six years in Arizona, though they can live to thirteen years old, according to the AZGFD. Amazingly, mountain lions can jump 20 feet high and some 40 feet horizontally, which comes in handy when going after prey such as deer, elk, big horned sheep, and javelina.

Mountain lions are “capable of seriously injuring or killing humans,” with children being most at risk. Though attacks are uncommon, they still occur. When confronted by one of the predators, one should not approach the animal, as most “mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation,” the AZGFD said. Additionally, individuals should make themselves large, speak loudly, and slowly back towards an urban area while maintaining eye contact with the animal. If attacked, one should fight back and be prepared for it to target the neck and head area.

“Many potential victims have fought back successfully with rocks, sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools, their bare hands, and even mountain bikes,” according to the agency.

One man even stepped on a mountain lion’s neck until it died after being attacked on a Colorado trail run in February 2019, the Associated Press reported.