The shocking story of the young man who killed a cougar

A week ago, the news traveled the world. A man had killed a cougar that had attacked him running surrounded by nature. But until now, the details of the incident that would have resulted in a tragedy were not known. Travis Kauffman smothered the cougar when he attacked him while he was running in Colorado. The victim recounted how he killed the animal by stomping on the throat during a fight in perpetuity. Kauffman has publicly expressed himself for the first time since the incident that left him with visible injuries to the neck and face. The man said that the moment lasted for about three minutes, but he was on the verge of death.

Kauffman reviewed the moments leading up to the event. He said he was running at Horsetooth Mountain, about 65 km northwest of Denver, when he heard the murmur of pines and turned his head to find himself face to face with a young cougar. His attempts to stop the predator's attack with sticks and hit him on the head with a stone were futile. In a moment, he does not really know how, he could catch the cougar and put his foot on his neck. He pressed so hard that it left him out of breath. While he was fighting with the animal, he was alarmed that another cougar was coming to join the fight. But this, for his luck, did not happen.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, mountain lions, also known as pumas or panthers, are native to America and their range extends from the Canadian Yukon to the tip of South America. "I felt used to seeing a mountain lion," he said at a press conference in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the environmental consultant lives with his girlfriend. The runner stated that he had raised his arms and screamed at the cougar, but that the animal had rushed towards him, bit him right wrist and had scraped him off the face. However, cougar attacks in humans are rare. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife website has reported fewer than 20 deaths in North America in the last 100 years.

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There are between 4,500 and 5,500 mountain lions in Colorado, and since 1990, the state has seen 16 people injured and 3 others killed by mountain lions attacks, reported the agency. Kauffman, who measures 1.77 meters and weighs about 70 pounds, said he knew nothing about martial arts nor training to fight. He acted exclusively with adrenaline. "The decisions were instinctive," he added. The body of the animal remained on the spot and was later removed by the authorities when the man went to the hospital to be treated. The wounds on his face, neck, wrist and legs required more than 20 stitches. Kauffman admitted that he was lucky to survive the attack without any permanent injuries. "Now I should go buy a lot of lottery tickets," he joked.

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