A young child is being treated for serious injuries after being attacked by at least one cougar outside their home in Lake Cowichan Friday.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) confirmed officers were called to the 500-block of Point Ideal Drive, near the Lakeview Park campground, around 4 p.m. to investigate the attack.
Ben York, an officer with the BCCOS’s west coast office, said the child suffered injuries to their head, neck and arms and was taken to hospital.
He also said at the time they believed at least two cougars were involved.
RCMP said the child is under 10 years old. Police assisted conservation officers in the investigation and in tracking the cougars.
WATCH: Child injured in cougar attack on Vancouver Island
Lake Cowichan Mayor Rod Peters, who attended the scene, said he’s heard the child is expected to survive.
The gender and exact age of the child is not yet clear.
WATCH: (Aired Dec. 18, 2018) 2-year-old boy attacked by cougar near Mission, B.C.
Around 6 p.m., BCCOS confirmed the two cougars had been destroyed, and said they were confident there aren’t any other animals involved or needing to be tracked down.
Conservation officer Scott Norris said the two cats killed were juveniles and “quite thin,” and officers are investigating to make sure they were the animals involved.
“There is no other cat in the immediate vicinity, but we are in Lake Cowichan,” Norris said. “There could be numerous cats in and around town at any time.”
BC Emergency Health Services said the child was taken to hospital by air ambulance around 3:30 p.m. and is in serious condition.
Neighbours said they were shocked to hear the news.
“It’s really horrible to hear when you have a child actually attacked like that,” Geoff Bain said. “We didn’t hear any warnings from our dogs in the last few days. It’s a surprise.”