A mountain lion attacked a nine-year-old girl who was playing hide-and-seek at a church camp in Washington state

A mountain lion attacked a nine-year-old girl who was playing hide-and-seek at a church camp in Washington state



At a church camp in Washington state, a mountain lion attacked a nine-year-old girl who was playing hide-and-seek, gravely injuring her and sending her pals fleeing in terror.

On Saturday at the camp in the small town of Fruitland, north-west of Spokane, Lily A Kryzhanivskyy and two other youngsters were playing in the woods. The lion attacked Lily when she jumped out to startle her buddies, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Adults raced to assist the girl, who was covered in blood. She was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery for multiple head and upper body traumas.

Lily was discharged from intensive care on Monday, but she remained hospitalized in a stable condition on Tuesday, according to the department.

Adults living at the church camp discovered and killed the young male mountain lion after the incident.

Captain Mike Sprecher of the fish and wildlife police stated, “We are incredibly thankful for this little girl’s resiliency, and we’re amazed with her spunk in the face of this awful experience.” “It happened quickly, and we’re grateful for the adults at the camp’s swift response.”

The animal tested negative for rabies over the weekend, according to the authorities.

Humans are rarely attacked by mountain lions. According to the EPA, there have only been two fatal assaults on humans in Washington state in the last 100 years, in 1924 and 2018. According to state data, there were another 20 attacks on humans that resulted in injuries.

After the jaguar, the mountain lion, often known as a cougar, is the second-largest cat in the Americas. They are solitary and secretive by nature, and are rarely observed in daylight. Deer and smaller animals are eaten by the ambush predator. While mountain lions normally avoid humans, as more people invade their habitat in North America, assaults on humans have increased.

“In this case, this little kid did nothing wrong,” said Staci Lehman, a fish and wildlife spokesman. “It all occurred so fast, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.”

She advised that if you are attacked by a mountain lion, you should yell and try to make yourself appear larger. Stay on your feet and fight back if it attacks. “Do not make a 180-degree turn. “Don’t look away from the animal,” Lehman advised. “Do not flee.”

This article was first published by The Guardian on 1 June 2022. Lead Image: A cougar attacked a girl playing at a church camp in Washington State. She has now left intensive care. Photograph: Max Allen/Alamy.


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