Man punches cougar in face, deters attack near Smithers, B.C.

SMITHERS — A British Columbia man suffered minor injuries after fending off a cougar attack by punching the animal in the face in the province’s northern Interior.

The province’s Conservation Officer Service says in a social media post that the attack happened on Saturday around 11 a.m. near Smithers, B.C., some 1,000 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.

The service says the man was working near Lake Kathlyn when the animal approached and swiped his upper body,

The man told officers that he punched the cougar in the face and the animal then disengaged.

The service says the man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.

Officers set a live trap in the area and surveyed the scene but did not locate the cougar, and the service says it is monitoring the vicinity in case another response is necessary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2025.