The cougar that attacked a 91原创 Island boy camping with his family on Sproat Lake near Port Alberni has been shot, according to police.
The animal was killed about 5:45 a.m. Thursday, after a seven-year-old boy was attacked on the west end of the lake, said Port Alberni RCMP Const. Tracey Corner.
The attack occurred at 8:24 p.m. Wednesday, while the boy was walking near the family's campsite, just a few metres from his father, Insp. Chris Doyle of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said.
The boy's father chased off the cougar, Doyle said.
"He received significant injuries to his head and shoulder" and was taken to West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni for treatment, Corner said.
Conservation officers were immediately notified and began tracking the cougar at first light Thursday morning using tracking dogs. The cougar was shot and killed.
The boy's injuries are believed to include claw and bite marks, police said. The family is from Port Alberni.
The officers with the dog looked around for other cougar scent trails but couldn't find any, which makes them confident they killed the cougar responsible for the attack. A necropsy was being done Thursday, and a site investigation will occur to look for tracks and collect DNA.
The Sproat Lake area is rural but does not generate more calls about cougars than one would expect on 91原创 Island, Corner said.
Port Alberni Coun. Rob Cole, who has knowledge of the area, said there have been "a bunch of sightings" of cougars at the west bay area.
"If you're camping at Tall Timbers and you're walking down Lake Shore Road, you should be looking out for cougars," Cole said.
Last August, an 18-month-old child was attacked by a cougar in Ucluelet.
聴 With a file from the Alberni Valley Times
