Cougar attacks four-year-old boy in Washington Park before it was tracked and killed
A child has escaped a cougar attack with only minor injuries after the incident took place on Saturday, June 1, in Leavenworth, Washington. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said in a statement on Twitter that the officers responded to the scene in Enchantment Park where a cougar was allegedly "displaying abnormal behavior". An initial search for the animal had proven unsuccessful.
KING reported that the WDFW closed down the park and had hopes of continuing with the search for the animal on Sunday using tracking dogs. The cougar, however, attacked a child later on Saturday. The 4-year-old boy was able to get away with only minor injuries and the WDFW officers launched another search for the animal.
Cpt. Michael Jewell of the WDFW told CNN affiliate KOMO-TV: "A cougar did come out, knocked down a young boy. Fortunately, the family had some dogs with them that they were able to turn loose that intervened and scared the cougar away."
Agents with the department were able to find the cougar at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday and it was euthanized, according to the State Patrol. WDFW officials said that wildlife biologists have already examined the cougar, as of Sunday morning, and found that it appeared to be quite healthy. Jewell said that the animal was a male of about 18 to 20 months old and that the department will conduct additional testing on the animal.
Jewell added: "It is standard protocol that we lethally remove a cougar in these circumstances. Because it did have contact with a human, we’re not willing to take chance that it might do that somewhere else with someone else." KOMO-TV also reported that Enchantment Park was reopened on Sunday.
The WDFW has advised on its website that anyone who encounters a cougar should not run because running and sudden movements may trigger an attack. Adults have been advised to stop and pick up small children immediately if a cougar is spotted. The website has also stated that it is important to appear more like a threat than prey so it would help if you can get above the cougar by standing on top of something.
The statement also advises that if wearing a jacket, it would help if you hold it open. Since 1924 in the state of Washington, there have only been two fatal cougar attacks.
If you have any interesting story for us, please reach out to us on (323) 421-7514