A 10-year-old boy escaped serious injuries after being attacked by a cougar northwest of Lillooet.
BC Conservation Officers say the boy was with two women and three other children outside a remote family cabin near Marshall Lake this past Monday.
The boy ran ahead on the trail when the big cat dropped from a tree and took a swipe at him, according to the BCCOS, and scratched the boy’s back and chest.
A Border Collie with the group jumped on the cougar as the rest of the group threw rocks at it and made noise, which is when the cougar took off into the woods.
Conservation Officers say a nearby road worked helped administer first aid, and the boy was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
As of yesterday evening, the BCCOS Predator Attack Team was still on site investigating, adding they’re using hounds to track down the cougar.
This is the third animal attack in the Lillooet area in about a month, the others involving a black bear and a grizzly bear.
While cougar attacks are rare, Conservation Officers urge anyone venturing into the backcountry to be prepared in case of any wildlife encounters.