Canadian man Shawn Hanson didn't think twice about going after a cougar that came out of from the woods and dragged his one-year-old dachshund into the bushes.
Hanson, 38, and his friends were camping at Salmon Beach in Ucluelet, British Colombia for the Fourth of July weekend when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cougar jump into the campsite and took Bailey, his dachshund, WCVB Boston reported.
"It put her paw down and her mouth around her neck and started dragging her. She was making really loud yelping noises like I'd never heard before," Hanson said.
Without a second thought, Hanson immediately ran after the cougar to save Bailey's life, running through bushes and a muddy dry creek in pursuit of his dog.
When the cougar started to climb uphill, Hanson was able to grab its rear end. He tried to get his dog free, but the cougar wouldn't let go. Hanson then reached back and punched the cougar right in the face.
"It stunned it enough that it dropped my dog, so I scooped up my dog and pulled back," he said, according to eCanada Now.
"My initial thought was that it would start swiping at me, but it sat there sort of dazed. I was just relieved at that point," Hanson said, according to WCVB Boston.
After bringing Bailey back to the campsite, Hanson took his rifle and went back into the woods to look for the cougar with the intention of scaring it away. He found it right where he left it.
When the cougar started to walk toward him, he fired a warning shot, hoping it would back off. However, the cougar was unfazed and took two short lunges toward him. That's when Hanson decided to put it down.
Consevation officers, who identified the cougar to be a one-year-old female, said they had received reports of sightings of an aggressive cougar in that area prior to Hanson's encounter, Fox 6 WBRC reported.
"It's difficult for young cougars to find food. They often end up starving and quite desperate," said Mike Badry, a human wildlife conflict specialist. "This one obviously saw that dog as vulnerable and took advantage of that."
Badry added that cougars would do anything to survive before they starve to death, saying that if the cougar was bigger and stronger, "it could've caused some damage," eCanada Now reported.
Authorities said Hanson's story was credible after investigating the incident.
"It's overall a scary interaction and we certainly wouldn't recommend anyone use their hands to fight off an animal. In this case, the gentleman was lucky," said Sgt. Jeff Swann of the Ucluelet Royal Canadian Mountain Police, WCVB Boston reported.
Meanwhile, as the story about the man who fought a cougar goes viral, people have varied reactions about what happened. While some are not so happy about the cougar being put down, others applaud what Hanson did.
The Canadian Ministry of Environment issued a short statement about the incident.
"A visitor to Salmon Beach shot and killed a juvenile cougar that had taken his small dog near the house," the ministry said. "The cougar was extremely emaciated. Conservation officers were on scene over the earlier days responding to sightings and behavior. Conversation officers attended with hounds the day prior, but did not have success due to extreme heat and tide conditions."
The ministry declared that the investigation is closed.
