Jogger kills mountain lion with his bare hands during attack

A jogger has managed to kill a mountain lion with his bare hands after he was attacked by the big cat on a trail in the US.

The man, who has not been identified, was running along West Trail Ridge at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space in Fort Collins, Colorado on Tuesday when he heard a noise behind him, The ABC reported.

When the animal lunged at him and bit him on the face and neck, the jogger fought back and suffocated the lion, according to a statement released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).

“The runner did everything he could to save his life,” CPW Northeast Region manager Mark Leslie said in the statement.

“In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did.”

On Twitter CPW Northeast confirmed the man had managed to hike himself out to safety before going to hospital.

The park’s wildlife manager Ty Petersburg said it was rare for a mountain lion to attack humans and in this case the animal’s hunting instincts might have been triggered by the man’s running motion.

The mountain lion was a young male weighing around 36kg, the CPW said. Preliminary investigations confirmed that the lion had been suffocated.

Less than 20 fatal attacks have occurred in 100 years in North America, they added.

“We can let you know that the runner is doing well considering his ordeal,” the CPW Northeast noted on its Twitter account.

The Horsetooth Mountain Open Space trails were closed in the wake of the attack. On Wednesday, sightings of other mountain lions were made near the scene.

The jogger has not yet spoken publicly about the ordeal.