Man Uses Spear to Kill Mountain Lion Attacking Woman

On September 8th a Vancouver Island woman working behind her cabin was attacked from behind by a mountain lion, which began crushing her skull and tore off half her scalp. Her common-law partner heard her screams and came to her aid, repeatedly stabbing the cat with a spear until it retreated.

This report from the Vancouver Sun says Conservation officers arrived on the scene a short-time later and quickly found the body of the dead cougar, a three-year old male, 160 feet from where the attack occurred.

“I’m pretty sure that this is the first time in B.C., if not Canada and maybe even North America, where someone has stopped an attack by a cougar with a spear and killed it with a spear,” said conservation officer Sgt. Ben York.

“I understand why he did it, but it still takes a lot of bravery to do what he did and I’m glad he was there to rescue her,” added York, noting that the cougar appeared relatively healthy. “You know it could have turned out a lot differently if he hadn’t been around.”

The article also stated this isn’t the first close encounter locals have had with a cougar in recent months. Since June, a cat has chased two men from the water’s edge, stalked a schoolteacher and bothered some tourists.