A nine-year-old boy was attacked by a cougar at Christina Lake earlier this month.
The BC Conservation Officer Service reports the boy was playing in a local creek on Aug. 16 with two other children at the time of the attack. He sustained “minor” injuries, and tracking hounds were deployed.
The cougar escaped on steep terrain, the conservation service reports.
The conservation office offers the following tips should you encounter a cougar:
- Stay calm, do not run
- Pick up and hold small children and pets
- Let the cougar know you are a threat and not prey
- Make yourself as large as possible
- Use your voice loudly and assertively
- back away slowly, never turning your back
- If the cougar show aggression, act aggressive back to communicate that you are not a meal: key eye contact, yell and make noise, show your teeth
- If the cougar attacks, fight back, focusing on its face and eyes