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CNN Live Sunday

Man Fights Off Cougar

Aired August 04, 2002 - 18:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to tell you an amazing story you might not even believe, and think about this if you were in a similar situation. A retired mill worker wound up in a fight for his life when a cougar sprang on him in Vancouver Island, British Columbia. CTV's Kate Corcoran reports that Dave Parker saved himself doing what experts say is the right thing -- fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE CORCORAN, CTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This once healthy, 90-pound male cougar started a fight by all accounts he should have won. With weapons like these, he nearly did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it surprised me that anybody can fight off one, actually. Because with him being a cat, sort of strong and you know -- they're heavy-duty animals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if any chances, he'd be one guy that would have fought one off.

CORCORAN: 62-year-old Dave Parker is alive because of a 3.5-inch pocket knife he had tucked in his pocket. Early Thursday evening, the retired mill worker was walking on this isolated logging road in Port Alice, alone. A cougar pounced from behind, tearing Parker's scalp, face and upper body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People will be walking around with their little bats and their little knives for the next month, and then we'll go back to the way we were, of just wondering around like they don't exist.

CORCORAN (on camera): Cougars don't act impulsively. An adult cougar will track its prey for miles, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. Any conservation officer will tell you, a cat attacks for one reason.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you fight back, you try to look as big as you can. Make lots of noise. If you have got sticks or something, beat the cougar off. Definitely fight cougars.

CORCORAN: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cougars attack people, like we said, for food. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all nervous today. The reality has come back again.

CORCORAN (voice-over): Residents of Port Alice have reason to be nervous. The north end of Vancouver Island is cougar country, and Parker is the fourth human to be attacked by one in two years. With the deer population on the rise, conservation officers are crossing their fingers, hoping these beautiful, yet lethal creatures, will have no reason to target man.

Kate Corcoran, CTV News, Port Alice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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