Man Fends Off Cougar With Punch to the Face

A quick-thinking British Columbia man turned the tables on an attacking cougar by landing a punch to the animal's face, escaping with only minor injuries. The incident occurred late Saturday morning as the man worked near Lake Kathlyn in Smithers, some 420 miles directly northwest of Vancouver, per CBC News. According to the province's Conservation Officer Service, the cougar approached and swiped at the man's upper body, prompting a defensive blow that led the animal to retreat. Officials report the man's injuries are minor, and he did not require hospitalization. Conservation officers have set a live trap in the area and continue to monitor the scene, though the mountain lion has yet to be found.

Cougar attacks in British Columbia are rare, despite the fact that the big cats generate roughly 2,500 calls to the Conservation Officer Service each year, according to WildSafeBC. The organization emphasizes that while encounters are infrequent, it is important to be prepared. If you come face-to-face with a cougar, WildSafeBC advises remaining calm, never running, and making yourself appear larger while backing away slowly and maintaining eye contact with the animal—always leaving it a way out. If a cougar does attack, don't play dead but fight back, the group says. (This comes days after a cougar attacked a child in Washington state.)