Random People Who Went Toe-to-Toe with Wild Animals and Won (16 items)

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  (#1) Canadian Punches Cougar Outside Coffee Shop To Save His Dog

  A man from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada saved his dog from a cougar outside a Tim Hortons coffee shop by punching it in the face. The man was stopped outside the restaurant to meet a friend for coffee when a cougar emerged from the woods and attacked his dog Sasha.  He went running, punched the large cat, and ran it off back into the woods.

  While the dog sustained serious injuries, Sasha lived to tell the tale. 

  "I was surprised to hear that the owner took the quick action and it's probably what saved the dog's life in this case," Sgt. Jack Poitras told the CBC. "I wouldn't recommend everybody wrassle with a cougar, but in this case it worked for the best." 
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  (#2) Farmer Bites A Python Slowly Strangling Him

  In what feels like a movie plot come to life,  one man survived being killed by a giant python by biting it on the tail. 

  In April 2009, Ben Nyaumbe, a manager of a farm in Kenya, was at work one day when he accidentally stepped on a 13-foot python that proceeded to wrap around him and drag him up a tree. Large snakes are known to slowly suffocate their prey to ready it for digestion. 

  Unable to free himself, and not wanting to be crushed to death by the powerful snake, Nyuambe calmly waited nearly three hours until the snake’s tail was close enough to his face and bit down. 

  The snake loosened its grip, which was all Nyuambe needed to reach into his pocket for his cell phone. He called for help and the police arrived shortly afterwards.

  After Nyuambe was freed the python was put into a bag, though it later escaped. It wasn’t seen again. 
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  (#3) Man Stabs A Shark In The Eye

  In 2007, off the coast of Cape Howe, Australia, Eric Nerhus was diving for abalone with his friends and son when a great white shark attacked and partially swallowed him head first.

  Nerhus began stabbing the 10-foot shark in the eye with his abalone knife. With a few quick jabs straight to the eyeball, the shark let Nerhus go. He swam to the surface where his friends and son hauled him into a boat. 

  Nerhus suffered serious bite marks, but was protected by his diver’s weight belt. The shark's bite managed to crush his face mask, break his nose and left deep cuts on both sides of his torso and left arm. Despite that, he has since made a full recovery. 
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  (#4) A Pennsylvania Couple Tussles With A Bear Inside Their House

  Most dramatic animal encounters take place in the wild. For Richard and Angela Moyer of Oliver Township, Pennsylvania, it happened inside their own house

  In October 2011, the Moyer’s dog, Brindy, was let outside to pee. She was chased back into the house by a bear, who also walked inside. Richard, who was getting ready for work, was attacked by the bear in his living room. The yelling and growling woke up Richard’s wife, Angela, who began shouting at the bear to distract it from mauling Richard. The bear turned on her and bit her several times. Richard came to his wife’s aid and distracted the bear towards himself, once again. 

  Suddenly, according to the Moyers, the bear just stopped attacking, left the house, and eventually took off into the woods. 

  The police and paramedics were called to the scene. Both Richard and Angela suffered serious injuries, but spent less than a day in the hospital. In the end, the couple, Brindy, and their son - who slept through the entire event - were fine.
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  (#5) Wife Saves Husband By Stabbing Cougar With Ball Point Pen

  Hikers who frequent trails in California frequently see signs warning them of cougars, also known as mountain lions, in the area. 

  Jim and Nell Hamm, both in their seventies, were enjoying their walk on a trail near Fortuna, CA in 2007 when Jim was suddenly attacked by a cougar. It lunged toward him, biting his head. 

  While he struggled with the cougar, Nell found a large tree limb and began beating and jabbing the animal in the sides with it. When that did no good, she took out a ballpoint pen from her husband's pocket and stabbed the cougar right in the eye, breaking the pen off inside. 

  Nell took one more shot with the tree limb, practically breaking it over the cougars head, causing the cougar to let go of Jim. As it backed away, Nell waved the limb around in the air while shouting and the cougar retreated into the woods. 

  Jim and Nell were both rushed to a hospital in San Francisco where Jim was treated. Nell apparently walked away without a scratch. The two survived the ordeal and the cougar was later tracked down and shot. 
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  (#6) A Group Of Divers Fights Off Komodo Dragons For Days

  Komodo dragons are one of the scariest animals in the world, and their aggressive antics toward humans prove it. 

  In 2008, a group of divers were forced ashore Rinca Island by strong currents. Among the group stranded on the remote island was a 38-year-old Swedish woman named Helena Nevalainen.

  After swimming in rough water and evading sharks, the group had to then contend with deadly komodo dragons, a species of giant lizard with nasty bites that cause serious bacterial infections. 

  As the reptiles closed in, Nevalainen and her diving companions resorted to using their lead-weighted diving belts to beat them and fend off their advances. For more than 10 hours, the group had to stay awake on a sandy beach, keeping constant lookout for more komodo dragons. 

  Finally a rescue boat, part of a larger search and rescue effort, spotted the group and picked them up. The entire group was hospitalized and monitored. Miraculously, not one person was bitten by a komodo dragon.
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  (#7) Man Uses His Bike To Beat Attacking Tiger

  Lions, tigers, and bears: cute when they are just stuffed toys, terrifying when they chase you on your way to work. 

  In August 2016, South African Sam Songwami had just left his house in the early morning on his bicycle. As he cycled to work, Sam soon noticed a tiger sitting in the shade of a tree. Once the tiger spotted Sam, it leapt up and charged at him. Sam grabbed some rocks and began hurling them back at the tiger. 

  When that didn’t work, Sam beat the tiger with his bike for a staggering 30 minutes. A woman driving by happened to witness the attack, and called a local wildlife sanctuary for help.

  Responders from the sanctuary, called The Farm Inn arrived and shot the tiger with a tranquilizer dart. Once it was down and sedated, the tiger was taken back to the Farm Inn. It was later discovered the tiger had actually escaped from the wildlife sanctuary. 

  Thankfully Sam wasn't harmed. Sam’s bike, however, was ruined. The Farm Inn was kind enough to replace it with a new one. 
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  (#8) Woman Bludgeons A Leopard With Garden Tools

  What should have been an relaxing afternoon gardening for one woman ended as a bloody fight against one of the world's fiercest predators. 

  In August 2014, Kamla Devi was gardening outside her home located in the Uttarakhand region of India, when a leopard jumped out of some bushes and pounced on her.

  Devi, however, was equipped with farming tools. With a sickle and a spade in hand, she let loose on the leopard by slashing it, bludgeoning it, and puncturing it with the tools for about a half hour. 

  Though Devi herself was bloodied, she was able to walk a short distance until she was rushed to a hospital. 

  She commented later: “I gathered my courage to fight back. I promised myself that this is not my last day here”
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  (#9) Man Slits A Cougar's Throat

  Sometimes surviving an animal take just takes some quick thinking - and a pocket knife.

  In August 2002, Canadian David Parker was walking on Victoria Island enjoying a nice evening walk.

  Rain began to pour, and while running for cover Parker was attacked by a mountain lion. According to him, the animal first bit him on the head and then began to scratch his face. Keeping calm, Parker reached into his pocket, flipped open a knife, and slashed open the mountain lion's throat, killing it fairly quickly. 

  Parker, with his scalp shredded, slowly made his way to Jeune Landing, a nearby town. He was rushed to a hospital and spent nearly 10 hours in surgery. 

  Proving that he’s tough as nails, Parker resumed his evening walks. 
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  (#10) Taxidermist Explorer Chokes A Leopard

  Carl Akeley, a taxidermist from New York, was traveling through Ethiopia in 1896 searching for animals to study for the Museum of Milwaukee. 

  One evening on his way home to base camp he was chased by a leopard. He tried to shoot it, but had run out of rifle rounds. As he went to reload, the leopard pounced. She tried to go for Akeley’s throat, but he managed to get a hand free and he forced it in the leopard’s mouth. 

  Akeley and the leopard rolled over and Akeley managed to pin the big cat to the ground with all his weight while continuing to force his arm down the animal’s throat. The leopard eventually stopped moving. When help finally came, Akeley borrowed a knife and stabbed the leopard to make sure it was dead. 
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  (#11) Man Grabs An Elephant By The Tusks

  Despite being beloved by many, elephants are known to be among the aggressive mammals in the world. In early 2003, explorer J. Michael Fay was in Gabon helping set up one of the country’s new national parks. 

  While leading a tour group through a coastal section of the park, Fay was charged by a young female elephant. According to him, the elephant was defending her territory and her herd. 

  At first Fay tried to stand his ground, which usually deters elephants, but the young female didn’t stop. When she was less than a foot away from Fay and ready to gore him, he reached out and grabbed ahold of her tusks. The two struggle for some time until members of Michael’s group returned and scared off the elephant. 

  Once the elephant was gone, Fay was evacuated and brought to hospital for serious, but non life-threatening wounds. He lived to tell the tale. 
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  (#12) Man Survives Cassowary Attack And 7-Foot Tumble

  Birds are awesome creatures, until they try to kick you to death.

  In April 2012, Dennis Ward and his family were watching a photographer capture pictures of a cassowary at Babinda Boulders, Australia. It began as a great experience, until the cassowary became angry and attacked. 

  Ward instinctively turned his back to avoid being disemboweled by the giant bird. It lunged and kicked him with enough force to send him tumbling down a 7-foot cliff. 

  The cassowary is one of the largest species of flightless birds and looks more like a dinosaur than a bird. It has giant claws on its feet, it can outrun humans, and it lives on a diet of fruit making it the most terrifying, curmudgeonly vegetarian around. It's also one of the deadliest. 

  Aside from the distinctive crest on its head, the cassowary doesn’t sing or chirp like most birds. It growls. 

  After kicking Ward off the cliff, the cassowary ran off into the rainforest nearby. Meanwhile, Mr. Ward was brought to a hospital to be monitored. He later commented: “What a holiday story to tell - flew into Cairns one day and the next I am attacked by a giant chook.”
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  (#13) Man Punches An Alligator In The Face

  The love between a man and his dog knows no bounds - even when the dog is being attacked by an alligator.

  In September 2015, Georgia resident Dave Quarterman was walking his Labrador retriever, Sheba. As the two were getting ready to head home, a 9-foot alligator lunged from nearby and grabbed Sheba. The dog yelped and Quartermann came running. 

  To his horror, Dave saw his dog in the jaws of the gator. His adrenaline pumping, Quartermann punched the alligator square in the eye. The alligator immediately let go and Quartermann rushed Sheba to a veterinary hospital. 

  The whole attack lasted only a few minutes. The alligator’s teeth had damaged one of Sheba’s ears and areas of her back and stomach, but she survived and recovered. 
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  (#14) British Woman Fends Off A Golden Eagle To Save Beloved Dogs

  Eagles are one of the most beautiful and respected animals on the planet. But when one tried to snatch Susan Dodd’s dog, she decided to fight back. 

  Dodd, a British national, was walking her two dogs along trails in Malaga, Spain, when a golden eagle swooped down and grabbed one of her dogs, Kora, in its talons. 

  Dodd wasn’t having any of this and boldly grabbed the eagle by one of its wings and forced its talons open, freeing her dog. The eagle, angry at losing dinner, bit her on the hand. 

  Once the bird was at a safe distance, Dodd leashed both her dogs and started down the mountain. She shouted at the bird to scare it away, and eventually it left her alone. Luckily both she and her two dogs walked away with relatively minor injuries. 
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  (#15) Kid Beats Angry Deer With A Stick

  A 9-year-old boy had to beat a deer off with a stick, literally, to stop it . from attacking his 7-year-old friend. Wyatt Pugh, his friend Brandon and a group of other boys were playing backyard football in Ohio when Brandon was suddenly attacked by a male deer. 

  The deer, which was gearing up for a fight with another buck, went after Brandon with its antlers, causing him serious, but not life threatening injuries. Wyatt sprang into action to defend his friend by whacking the deer with a stick to scare it off. 

  The deer ran away both Brandon and Wyatt were shaken but turned out okay. 
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  (#16) Kids Use 'World Of Warcraft' Knowledge Escape A Moose

  A lot can be said about World of Warcraft, including that it helped save Hans Olsen’s life in 2007. 

  Olsen, a 12-year-old Norwegian and World of Warcraft enthusiast, was walking in the woods near his home with his sister when they encountered a moose. They surprised the moose, which scared the animal, and it became enraged.

  To defend his sister, Olsen began shouting at the surly animal to get its attention. Before things could get way out of hand, Hans remembered a tactic from playing World of Warcraft and dropped to the ground like a rag doll, pretending to be dead. He told a local newspaper that reaching level 30 on the game allows players to "feign death." 

  The moose turned and walked off. Olsen and his sister escaped unharmed. 

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