An eight-year-old boy was attacked by a cougar on Saturday evening at Olympic National Park in Washington state, just south of Vancouver Island.
The boy and his family were camping near Lake Angeles when a cougar attacked the child.
“The cougar casually abandoned its attack after being yelled and screamed at by the child’s mother,” a statement from the National Park Service reads.
The boy survived the attack with minor injuries, but was taken to a local hospital for further medical assessment.
All remaining campers in the Lake Angeles area were evacuated following the attack, and access to Lake Angeles and nearby Heather Park are closed until further notice.
“Due to the extreme nature of this incident, we are closing the Lake Angeles area and several trails in the vicinity,” said Olympic National Park wildlife biologist Tom Kay. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Lake Angeles Trail, Heather Park Trail, Switchback Trail and the entire Klahhane Ridge Trail are closed until further notice.”
Park officials and wildlife experts “specializing in cougar tracking” were deployed early Sunday to hunt down the animal responsible for the attack.
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“If the cougar is located, it will be euthanized and removed from the park for a necropsy. This may provide clues as to why the animal attacked since cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare,” park officials wrote, adding that these measures are in line with their wildlife protocols.
The area where the attack occurred is a short distance from the U.S.-Canada border. The closest town to Lake Angeles is Port Angeles, which is only 35 kilometres from B.C.’s capital of Victoria, as the crow flies.
After the attack, park officials are reminding visitors that the entirety of Olympic National Park “is considered cougar territory.”
They recommend that visitors never hike, jog or camp alone and advise parents to keep children in sight at all times.
“If you meet a cougar, it is important to not run because it could trigger the cougar’s attack instinct. Instead, people should group together, appear as large as possible, keep eyes on the animal, make lots of noise and shout loudly. Throwing rocks or objects at the cougar is also recommended,” park officials write.
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