Colorado Man Who Strangled Mountain Lion Recounts Attack: ‘It Was Just Pure Adrenaline’
Written by SOURCE on February 16, 2019
Travis Kauffman, the man who strangled a mountain lion to death after being attacked, had a press conference in which he recounted his ordeal.
LIVE || press conference featuring the trail runner who survived the Feb. 4 mountain lion attack. https://t.co/yxqX0gVdX3
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) February 14, 2019
Kauffman, 31, said that having a cat, which he’s only had for around six months, helped him when he was attacked by a mountain lion while running at the West Ridge Trail at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. He said that when he plays with his cat, it will get down on its back and will “just kind of go crazy with his back legs and start scratching,” the New York Times reports. Kauffman said that this information “was definitely a good thing to know.”
The runner who killed a mountain lion in self-defense said that playing with his house cat helped prepare him for the attack https://t.co/DqROtaXGCC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 15, 2019
After additional investigation, including examination of the lion, we have confirmed the victim’s account that he was able to suffocate the animal while defending himself from the attack.
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) February 5, 2019
Kauffman, after a struggle with the animal, was able to fight off the mountain lion by choking it to death.
“It was just pure adrenaline,” Kauffman said about that attack, which occurred on Feb. 4 near Fort Collins, Colorado. “There was a certain point where I just kind of imagined being stuck on this hillside and eventually just having a cat gnaw at me, which is a creepy way to go. But, for the most part, the adrenaline just kept kicking in at those moments.”
Kauffman had to get multiple stitches on his face. He also suffered other injuries to his neck and legs.
