9-year-old attacked by cougar while playing hide-and-seek at camp, WA officials say
A 9-year-old girl was playing hide-and-seek at a camp in Washington when she was attacked by a cougar, wildlife officials said.
Lily A. Kryzhanivskyy was attacked by the animal on Saturday, May 28, near Fruitland in Stevens County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release.
She was playing hide-and-seek in the woods near the camp with two other children, officials said.
When she jumped out to surprise the other children, the cougar attacked her.
Lily was taken to a hospital and put in the intensive care unit. As of Monday, May 30, she was listed in stable condition, officials said.
Her mother told officials that Lily was “very brave and tough.”
The male cougar was killed and tested negative for rabies, officials said.
“We are extremely thankful for this little girl’s resiliency and we’re impressed with her spunk, in the face of this unfortunate encounter,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Capt. Mike Sprecher said in the release.
Cougar attacks in Washington aren’t common, officials said.
There have only been two recorded fatal cougar attacks in the state. In the past 100 years, there have been 19 incidents where someone was injured by a cougar, officials said.
“Wild animals don’t care to be around humans any more than we want to have close encounters with them,” Sprecher said.
What to do during a cougar encounter
If someone encounters a cougar, wildlife officials warn people not to turn their backs and run away. It could lead the animal to chase.
Officials said the best thing is to make eye contact with the animal and back away slowly.
Then stand on a rock or make yourself large by putting your hands over your head if the animal begins to approach you.
Then yell, throw rocks or anything else to be assertive with the animal.
During a cougar attack, fight back and don’t play dead, officials said.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 12:14 PM with the headline "9-year-old attacked by cougar while playing hide-and-seek at camp, WA officials say."
