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Naked dance with a cougar
Len Evans holds the carcasses of two cougar kittens he killed on his front porch in Tatlayoko, one he strangled to death “buck naked.” Dorothy Evans photo
By Angie Mindus, Williams Lake Tribune
British Columbia
Tatlayoko Valley resident Leonard Evans says he’d think twice before going head-to-head with a cougar again, this after strangling a kitten to death on his front porch while buck naked in -15 below weather.
“I don’t think I’d want to do it again,” Len said Friday, as he and his wife Dorothy recounted the tale during a phone interview with the Tribune.
“It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
Dorothy said the story begins back in the dead of winter, January 31 to be exact, when neighbours spotted a starving cougar kitten on the Evans’ porch while the couple were away.
Dorothy said they were notified of the situation and returned home where Len tracked the kitten and killed it on their property that same day.
The next morning, Dorothy said she had just got out of bed and began her regular routine of letting their Cocker Spaniel Winston outside before making some coffee when all hell broke loose.
“All-of-the-sudden there was fur flying,” Dorothy said.
“I took a second look and thought ‘Oh my God it’s a cougar.’”
Dorothy let out a scream for Len to come quick.
Awake but still in bed, Len said he jumped out of bed, ran to the porch and grabbed the cougar by the throat without even thinking.
At that point the cougar was on its back with it’s paws around Winston’s neck. Len was in a less-than-favourable position himself -- totally naked without even a pair of gloves as he held the cougar by the neck.
“I saw the blood all over the porch ... I knew Len was bleeding,” said Dorothy, who grabbed the dog when Len got a hold of the kitten.
Dorothy said Len kept his grip on the cougar’s neck while she frantically asked her husband, ‘what can I do, what can I do?’ Dorothy said she did the only thing she could, which was to grab Len’s housecoat to shield him from both the cold and the cougar’s claws.
“The adrenalin was pumping, I’ll tell you.”
Dorothy said Len and the cougar kept their positions until the fight was over and the cougar kitten lay dead. Dorothy said even though they had no other choice but to kill the cougar, which was weak and suffering from frostbite and starvation, Dorothy said it was still sad when they examined the animal.
“We looked at the poor little thing after ... we felt so bad for it. It didn’t even have a chance to live,” she said.
“It’s such a shame.”
Dorothy said she checked Len for hypothermia before the couple headed to see Ruth Kuehl-Venn, the nurse practitioner at Tatla Lake who used three stitches to close a bite wound the cougar made just above Len’s wrist. A health inspector from Williams Lake also responded by removing the cougar’s head and having it tested to ensure it didn’t have rabies, which it didn’t.
Now that some time has passed, the two and their neighbours can certainly see the humour in Len fighting with a cougar while being naked outside in freezing temperatures.
“The irony of it all is he doesn’t even like the dog. I think he just reacted to my screaming,” Dorothy said.
“We just kill ourselves laughing.”
The family is also being entertained by national media reports recently which have allowed the couple to relive their wild tale and, inevitably, has spawned some new jokes, of which Len is the ‘butt’ of.
“This is the biggest thing since I don’t know what ... our neighbours just think it’s a hoot,” Dorothy said of the attention.
“Around here they’ve nicknamed Len ‘The Puma Man.’”
All kidding aside, the couple said despite this up close and personal experience, they live where they do because of the wildlife.
“Seeing a wild animal is a thrill.”
Last fall Dorothy said they watched as a prized five-point buck came into their yard making advancements towards Penny, a local doe deer. Penny was nursed back to health many years ago by Les and Colleen Harris when she broke her leg and has had a relationship with the locals ever since. Dorothy said Penny frequents area backyards every spring with her babies and is just one of many reasons the couple say they have no plans to leave beautiful Tatlayoko Valley any time soon.
“It’s a very exciting and wonderful life out here.”
Len Evans holds the carcasses of two cougar kittens he killed on his front porch in Tatlayoko, one he strangled to death “buck naked.” Dorothy Evans photo
By Angie Mindus, Williams Lake Tribune
British Columbia
Tatlayoko Valley resident Leonard Evans says he’d think twice before going head-to-head with a cougar again, this after strangling a kitten to death on his front porch while buck naked in -15 below weather.
“I don’t think I’d want to do it again,” Len said Friday, as he and his wife Dorothy recounted the tale during a phone interview with the Tribune.
“It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
Dorothy said the story begins back in the dead of winter, January 31 to be exact, when neighbours spotted a starving cougar kitten on the Evans’ porch while the couple were away.
Dorothy said they were notified of the situation and returned home where Len tracked the kitten and killed it on their property that same day.
The next morning, Dorothy said she had just got out of bed and began her regular routine of letting their Cocker Spaniel Winston outside before making some coffee when all hell broke loose.
“All-of-the-sudden there was fur flying,” Dorothy said.
“I took a second look and thought ‘Oh my God it’s a cougar.’”
Dorothy let out a scream for Len to come quick.
Awake but still in bed, Len said he jumped out of bed, ran to the porch and grabbed the cougar by the throat without even thinking.
At that point the cougar was on its back with it’s paws around Winston’s neck. Len was in a less-than-favourable position himself -- totally naked without even a pair of gloves as he held the cougar by the neck.
“I saw the blood all over the porch ... I knew Len was bleeding,” said Dorothy, who grabbed the dog when Len got a hold of the kitten.
Dorothy said Len kept his grip on the cougar’s neck while she frantically asked her husband, ‘what can I do, what can I do?’ Dorothy said she did the only thing she could, which was to grab Len’s housecoat to shield him from both the cold and the cougar’s claws.
“The adrenalin was pumping, I’ll tell you.”
Dorothy said Len and the cougar kept their positions until the fight was over and the cougar kitten lay dead. Dorothy said even though they had no other choice but to kill the cougar, which was weak and suffering from frostbite and starvation, Dorothy said it was still sad when they examined the animal.
“We looked at the poor little thing after ... we felt so bad for it. It didn’t even have a chance to live,” she said.
“It’s such a shame.”
Dorothy said she checked Len for hypothermia before the couple headed to see Ruth Kuehl-Venn, the nurse practitioner at Tatla Lake who used three stitches to close a bite wound the cougar made just above Len’s wrist. A health inspector from Williams Lake also responded by removing the cougar’s head and having it tested to ensure it didn’t have rabies, which it didn’t.
Now that some time has passed, the two and their neighbours can certainly see the humour in Len fighting with a cougar while being naked outside in freezing temperatures.
“The irony of it all is he doesn’t even like the dog. I think he just reacted to my screaming,” Dorothy said.
“We just kill ourselves laughing.”
The family is also being entertained by national media reports recently which have allowed the couple to relive their wild tale and, inevitably, has spawned some new jokes, of which Len is the ‘butt’ of.
“This is the biggest thing since I don’t know what ... our neighbours just think it’s a hoot,” Dorothy said of the attention.
“Around here they’ve nicknamed Len ‘The Puma Man.’”
All kidding aside, the couple said despite this up close and personal experience, they live where they do because of the wildlife.
“Seeing a wild animal is a thrill.”
Last fall Dorothy said they watched as a prized five-point buck came into their yard making advancements towards Penny, a local doe deer. Penny was nursed back to health many years ago by Les and Colleen Harris when she broke her leg and has had a relationship with the locals ever since. Dorothy said Penny frequents area backyards every spring with her babies and is just one of many reasons the couple say they have no plans to leave beautiful Tatlayoko Valley any time soon.
“It’s a very exciting and wonderful life out here.”
