A 5-year-old boy from Rossland, B.C., is recovering after being attacked by a cougar while hiking with his family in Washington State.
The attack happened Wednesday on the Abercrombie Mountain Trail in the Colville National Forest, according to a press release by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The boy's parents reported that a cougar suddenly jumped out of a brushy area onto the boy. The mother fought off the cougar.
The boy was taken to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, B.C., about 25 miles away, where he was treated for head wounds and released.
Wildlife officers notified local hunters to assist in a search for the cougar. If the animal is found it will be killed, officials said.
"When human life is threatened in this way, we take no chances," said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Capt. Mike Whorton.
Since records have been kept, there have been 18 reported cougar attacks in the state, including one fatality in 1924 in Okanogan County.
The state's cougar population is estimated to be between 1,900 and 2,100.
