Man punches cougar to rescue dachshund in British Columbia

UCLELET, British Columbia, July 8 (UPI) -- A British Columbia man who saw a cougar grab his dachshund in its mouth ran up to the animal and "punched it in the face."

Shawn Hanson said his 1-year-old dog, Bailey, was accompanying him on a fishing trip last week near Uclelet when a cougar grabbed the canine in its mouth and started to run.

Hanson said he ran after the predator and quickly caught up to it.

"I never really thought about what the cougar could do to myself," Hanson told CTV News. "I reached back and punched it in the face."

Hanson said he ran with Bailey back to his truck and retrieved his shotgun. He said the cougar continued to act aggressively so he shot it three times.

"For it to show aggression at me, it needed to be -- it only had about ten feet and it would've been on me so I had to make that decision unfortunately," he said.

Conservation officer Brittany Meuller said there were multiple cougar sightings in the area prior to Hanson's encounter.

"It was obviously really hungry," Hanson told the Westerly News. "It was pretty scrawny, skin and bones, and its hair was pretty shabby so it hadn't been getting the nutrition it needed; he was pretty ballsy to come out and grab my dog and then actually come towards me."

Hanson, who shared photos of the slain cougar on Facebook, said Bailey is recovering from puncture wounds and a minor neck injury.