Watch Live: CityNews Tonight Vancouver

Four-year-old boy attacked by cougar in Fernie

FERNIE – A four-year-old boy is now recovering after he was attacked by a cougar on Sunday near Fernie.

It happened while the child was on a fishing trip with his family.

His parents were able to fight off the animal, and take the boy to hospital where he was treated for lacerations and puncture wounds, then released.

Joe Caravetta with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it’s unusual for a cougar to attack a human.

“The family did absolutely nothing wrong in provoking this attack. Cougars are one of those animals that feed what they kill–they’re not a scavenger like a bear would be. They’re looking around for things that they could feed on,” explains Caravetta.

“We want the public to not be alarmed because these are fairly rare instants, but we are asking the public to refrain from the lower Morrissey Creek area for a few days while we still do some monitoring in the area.”
Conservation officers sent out dogs to try and locate the animal, but have so far been unable to do so. Caravetta says if the cougar is found it will be destroyed.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today