Cougar attacks 8-year-old boy as brave mom scares animal away at Olympic National Park

A cougar attacked an 8-year-old boy who was camping inside a national park Saturday — but the child’s mother was able to scare the animal away, officials said.

The young boy only suffered minor injuries during the animal attack at around 6:30 p.m. in Olympic National Park in Washington State.

Remaining visitors were evacuated from part of the park following the frightening moment, the National Park Service said in a news release.

The attack started when the cougar launched toward the boy while camping at Lake Angeles, which is part of the Heart O’ the Hills area.

The child’s mother “yelled and screamed” at the mountain lion and the animal “casually abandoned” the attack.

Park personnel quickly reached the scene and after the young victim’s medical condition was assessed, the family was taken back to the trailhead, the park service said.

The child was then taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

The Lake Angeles and Heather Park areas are now off-limits indefinitely.

“Due to the extreme nature of this incident, we are closing the Lake Angeles area and several trails in the vicinity,” said Olympic National Park Wildlife Biologist Tom Kay in a statement.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Lake Angeles Trail, Heather Park Trail, Switchback Trail, and the entire Klahhane Ridge Trail are closed until further notice.” 

Law enforcement and wildlife officials began hunting for the cougar early Sunday morning.

If the animal is found, it’ll be euthanized and taken from the park for a necropsy.

“This may provide clues as to why the animal attacked since cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare,” the park service stated.

The park service warned that Olympic National Park is considered cougar territory, and visitors should be ready for any possible encounter.

Visitors should travel in groups and children should never be left alone in the area.

Park officials said people should not run from cougars because it might trigger the wild animal’s attack mode.

Shouting and throwing objects at cougars are the best ways to avoid being attacked, the park service said.

Saturday’s cougar attack is among several violent incidents involving wildlife to take place inside national parks this month.

A Minnesota woman was attacked by a bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park on July 15, suffering “significant injuries to her abdomen and foot,” officials said.

Two days later, bison gored a 47-year-old Arizona woman in the chest while she was visiting Yellowstone National Park on what was supposed to be a proposal trip.

She survived but suffered severe injuries to her chest and abdomen.

She later got engaged after her boyfriend popped the question in the hospital.

And tragically, Kansas woman Amie Adamson was mauled to death by a grizzly bear while hiking a Montana trail at Yellowstone National Park last week.