'One of my worst fears', says man who choked mountain lion

A runner who was attacked by a mountain lion has described how he wrestled the animal to the ground and jammed his foot onto its neck during a life-and-death struggle.

Travis Kauffman said the cat locked its jaws on his wrist and clawed at his face and arms during the three-minute ordeal in Colorado that left him needing 28 stitches.

"I will never be able to live up to the reputation," said the 31-year-old, who is 5ft 10in and weighs about 11 stone. "The story is bigger than my puny form."

Mr Kauffman was running alone in the mountains west of Fort Collins on 4 February when he heard the rustle of pine needles behind him.

He turned to see the mountain lion about 10ft away.

"One of my worst fears was confirmed," he said.

The cat lunged and after it locked its teeth on Mr Kauffman's wrist, they both tumbled off the side of the trail.

Mr Kauffman's attempts to halt the attack by stabbing the predator with sticks and hitting it on the head with a rock were to no avail.

Ultimately, he was able to pin the cougar down and put his foot on its neck and choke it until it died.

"My fear response turned into more of a fight response," he said.

After killing the animal, Mr Kauffman ran back down the trail, where he met other runners who took him to hospital.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers retrieved the dead cat and said their investigations confirmed Mr Kauffman's account.

"Travis is a pretty amazing young man," said Ty Petersburg, a wildlife manager for the agency.