The Skeena
A 10-year-old child is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries after a cougar knocked him to the ground near Lillooet. But it could have gone a lot worse.
The thing that possibly saved the boy’s life: a loyal Border Collie.
“The COS Predator Attack Team remains at the site of the attack, which took place Monday afternoon outside a remote family cabin near Marshall Lake,” reads a statement on Facebook from the BC Conservation Officer Service.
The boy was walking along a trail with two women and three other children when he decided to run ahead of the group. All of a sudden a cougar dropped down from a tree and swiped the boy.
“The cougar pursued the boy on the ground, scratching his back and chest,” reads the statement. But that’s when a dog with the group decided to intervene.
“A Border Collie with the group jumped on the cougar’s back while the group started screaming and throwing rocks and sticks. The cougar ran away. A nearby road worker helped administer first aid,” the statement goes on.
These types of attacks are unusual and the Conservation Officer Service didn’t say why they think this particular attack happened.
“Cougar attacks are very rare, but if you encounter a cougar, stay calm, never run and pick up small children immediately,” reads an advice guide from WildSafeBC.
