Travis Kauffman, 31, has given a harrowing account of his encounter with a mountain lion on a jogging trail in the US state of Colorado on February 4, 2019. The runner described how he heard a rustling of pine needles and breaking twigs before he turned to see the animal closing in on him from about 3 metres (10 feet) away.
The big cat clamped its jaws on his hand, and would not let go, said Kauffman, describing how he repeatedly landed blows on its head with a rock. Kauffman said he finally planted a foot on the mountain lion’s neck, choking it until it stopped thrashing.
He jogged back down the trail with wounds to his face, neck, wrist and legs, needing more than 20 stitches when he was treated in hospital.
Mountain lions are native to the Americas, and also known as pumas or panthers, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates say there are between 4,500 and 5,500 mountain lions in the state, which has recorded 16 people injured and three killed in mountain lion attacks since 1990.