Conservation officers have shot and killed a cougar thought to have attacked a young boy on Vancouver Island.
The boy was sent to hospital with cuts to his head and shoulder following the attack, The Canadian Press reports.
The incident occurred on Sproat Lake, west of Port Alberni, on Wednesday evening.
The 7-year-old boy suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. The cougar pounced on him as he and his father was walking by a riverbank around 8:30 p.m.
According to officials, the animal was found near the site of incident.
It’s not the first time a cougar has attacked a child in one of Vancouver Island’s many parks.
Last August an 18-month-old boy suffered critical injuries after he was mauled by a cougar in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
The infant’s family managed to rescue the boy from the animal’s clutches, but the attack left him with puncture wounds in the back of his head.
Park officials spent days following the attack hunting for the cat.
With files from The Canadian Press.
