The man who was attacked by a mountain lion during a run in Colorado earlier this month explained how he suffocated the young cat — and survived with minimal injuries.
Travis Kauffman spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday after the incident, which took place on Feb. 4 at Horse tooth Mountain Open Space in Larimer County.
Kauffman, originally from Alabama, said in an interview released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife that he wanted to "go on a pretty long scenic run," and headed out around noon.
At some point during his jog, he "heard some pine needles rustle behind" him. Kauffman said he turned his head — something he doesn't typically do, as he'd expect the rustling to be a rabbit or deer — and that's when he said he felt his "heart sink."
Kauffman saw the mountain lion roughly 10 feet away. He threw his hands up in the air and started yelling. The mountain lion kept approaching, and eventually, lunged at him.
The cat latched its jaw onto Kauffman's right wrist, the runner said. Kauffman tried to protect his face as the mountain lion clawed at him.
Throughout the attack, Kauffman said he was doing his "barbarian yell as best I could," and tried throwing the cat off him — which led to them both tumbling down a slope.
"From there it was just like a wrestling match — it was thrashing and it still had my wrist locked in its jaws," Kauffman said. He added that he pinned down the cat's back legs using his left knee.