A Vancouver Dad Punched a Cougar in the Face After It Attacked His Daughter

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A badass Vancouver dad socked a cougar right in the face after it pounced out of the bushes and tried to run off with his two-year-old daughter in its jaws yesterday.

Travis Nielsen said he was relaxing in his Vancouver Island backyard with his family when the cougar burst from the shrubs and bit into his daughter Bree, which prompted the no-bullshit dad to hop into action.

"It came up behind her, jumped on her back, and had her head in its mouth," he said. "All I remember is seeing its eyes and not really comprehending what it was that grabbed her."

"I grabbed her with one hand by the shirt and I struck," he said.

Travis's wife Andrea said they originally thought the feral cat was a dog before realizing that it was indeed a cougar.

According to Nielsen, the cat—which dropped the kid and ran off after taking the punch—left some small flesh wounds on the child, but no serious injuries.

"She was crying but she's OK," said Nielsen. "She's got some small puncture wounds just above her right ear, one on her back, and then a couple on her chest."

The dad, reportedly fired up from his encounter with the island beast, chased the cougar into the forest after telling it to "get out of here" and didn't stop his onslaught until the cat was long gone.

Following the incident, conservation officials on the island sent out a team armed with traps and a pack of bloodhounds to track down the animal, which was eventually caught and put down.

They also apparently searched the area for other "big cats," according to the Vancouver Sun.

The family says that they are shaken after "an intense day." No word on whether the dad will go on to fight other large animals in the future.

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