British Columbia Man Fends Off Cougar Attack by Punching It In the Face

A man in Smithers, a pretty little town in the northern interior of British Columbia, Canada, fended off a cougar attack by punching the predator in the face.

According to reports from the Conservation Officer Service, the government agency responsible for protecting the environment and natural resources in British Columbia, the man was attacked just before noon on July 26. Smithers is a beautiful place, surrounded by the Bulkley Mountain Range. Fish-filled rivers run through it, and a strange little quirk the place has is an ear-splitting air-raid siren that fills the air at noon every day.

The people who live there can be thought of as the types who’d punch a mountain lion in the face. People who love the outdoors and the small community they live in. Skiers, hikers, fishers. loggers, miners, and a smattering of tourism folks. It’s a wonderful place, filled with tough, independent people who don’t take shit from anyone, let alone a cougar.

“At approximately 11 a.m., the man was working in the Lake Kathlyn area when a cougar approached him and swiped his upper body,” the Conservation Officer Service wrote. “The man, who was interviewed by conservation officers, told them he punched the cougar in the face and it disengaged. The victim received non-life threatening injuries that did not require medical treatment in a hospital.”

Conservation officers had a good look around, but mountain lions are incredibly elusive. They weren’t able to find one, so a live trap was deployed. The following day, they returned with scent-hounds, but still came up empty-handed.

“The COS is continuing to monitor cougar activity in the area,” the office wrote, “and will respond as necessary to ensure public safety.”