Cougars attack child on Vancouver Island
Posted March 29, 2019 5:39 pm.
Last Updated March 30, 2019 2:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LAKE COWICHAN (NEWS 1130) — A child was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital after being attacked by at least one cougar on Vancouver Island this afternoon.
A B.C. Conservation officer says there may have been two or more cougars involved in the attack that happened before 4 p.m. near Lake Cowichan.
The child that was attacked is believed to have head, neck and arm injuries.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service was looking for the cougars and hoping to capture them earlier this afternoon. Two cougars have now been put down.
The service is, however, still searching the area with dogs to make sure there are no other cougars involved. It will also be doing a forensic investigation to be sure the animals that were destroyed were, in fact, the ones responsible for the attack.
“At this point we believe there may be two or more cougars involved,” York said Friday afternoon. “We don’t think there’s any significant risk to the public at this point with the number of officers on scene, but we are asking that people stay away from the site and let the officers do their work to secure public safety.”
York also asked for privacy for the family.
“It’s a difficult time for them right now, and we’re doing our best to help them out,” he says.
– With files from CityNews
