Posted on 04/01/2019 2:20:09 PM PDT by Red Badger
A day after a young boy was mauled by at least one cougar outside the family’s home in Lake Cowichan, his parents say their son is expected to make a full recovery.
Seven-year-old Zack sustained injuries to his head, neck and arm in the attack, which happened Friday afternoon just outside of town while the boy’s mother was inside.
On Saturday, the boy’s father, Kevin Bromley, said his wife ended up saving their son’s life.
“She’s beside herself,” he said on the phone from Lake Cowichan Saturday. “If it had been a bigger cougar, it would have been over.”
Bromley said Zack had gone to the waterfront outside their home, which is in a gated community on the west side of town near the Lakeview Park campground when a small cougar came at him.
“It hit the mesh fence [separating our house from the neighbour’s], which gave Zack enough time to bolt, but [the cougar] came through the mesh and then jumped on him.”
Bromley said the hoodie Zack was wearing helped protect him from the cougar’s thrashing, but the animal then clamped its jaws on the boy’s forearm. That’s when his mom, Chelsea, heard the struggle and came rushing to her son’s rescue.
“She jumped on top of this thing, but it just wouldn’t let go of Zack’s forearm so she then had to pry this cougar’s jaw open,” Bromley said.
“She told me she couldn’t do it for two or three seconds but then she screamed ‘help,’ and it just let go and ran off. And there was blood everywhere.”
Chelsea then brought Zack inside and called first responders. They arrived within minutes, Bromley said, and took the boy to hospital.
Bromley said Zack has been “stoic” in the face of his near-death experience as he recovers at home. The boy has stitches on his arm and on his skull behind his ear.
“As soon as I saw him yesterday, I just started bawling,” the father said. “I think today it’s starting to sink in for him what happened. We’re just trying to focus on him and make sure this doesn’t impact him mentally or traumatically.
“We took him out for a big dinner last night, and that made him happy,” he added.
Original reports said two cougars were involved in the attack. Bromley said it was his younger daughter who spotted a second cougar nearby.
B.C. conservation officers responded and said they tracked and killed the two cougars, which they described as juvenile and “quite thin,” suggesting they were starving.
A full necropsy will be performed on the two cougars to determine their history and condition at the time of the attack.
Sgt. Scott Norris with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said seeing cougars on west Vancouver Island is common.
We are in Lake Cowichan,” Norris said. “There could be numerous cats in and around town at any time.”
David Eyer, an expert on the animals, said hearing a child was attacked by a cougar in that area was shocking but not exactly surprising.
“Vancouver Island has more cougar attacks than anywhere else,” Eyer said. “I think for somebody living in a town like that, you need to be cautious because these generally younger cougars looking for territory do come into these areas. Everywhere else they go, the adults claim that territory.”
A better option than trying to pry it’s mouth open would be to gouge its eyes.
The best option is to shoot, shovel and shut up BEFORE these wild carnivores see your children.
Those were Canadian cougars. Couldn’t the mom have just asked politely for it to let go?
How old was the cougar, over 45?
B.C. conservation officers responded and said they tracked and killed the two cougars.
In Californicator land, these two officers would be fired and put into jail for kill an endangered wonderful critter.
“Bromley said the hoodie Zack was wearing helped protect him from the cougar’s thrashing, but the animal then clamped its jaws on the boy’s forearm. That’s when his mom, Chelsea, heard the struggle and came rushing to her son’s rescue.
“She jumped on top of this thing, but it just wouldn’t let go of Zack’s forearm so she then had to pry this cougar’s jaw open,” Bromley said.”
Again in California, the mother, Chelsea would be arrested for interfering with an endangered species trying to feed itself.
I’m very surprised there are cougars on Vancouver island one would think they would have been eliminated a hundred years ago. I wonder if the feel good tree huggers reintroduce them?
No, they wouldn't. In every cougar attack in California in the last century (there have been 4 since 1909), the animal was tracked and killed. Additionally, California issues a couple hundred "depredation permits" to kill problem cougars every year, although only about half result in a dead animal.
There are a large number of cougars on Vancouver Island. They were never eliminated, and they are more vicious than their mainland cousins. Nobody is sure why.
Probably more vicious because there are too many.
Ooops. Wrong Cougar.
If you see a cougar/mountain lion, that is because it wanted you to see it.
You are correct if and when a dangerous lion/cougar is reported to the authorities.
However, God help you if you are a normal citizen shooting a lion/cougar to protect your livestock, pets, family members or yourself.
As per the cases below some incidents have several reports:
Search Results
Web results
Mountain Lion Killing In Wine Country Sparks Anger – CBS San ...
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/.../mountain-lion-killing-in-wine-country-sparks-ang...
Feb 12, 2019 - NAPA (KPIX 5) — On Saturday, a young mountain lion was shot and killed outside a ... It was the same cat, a young male dubbed P15, that just a week before had killed a goat at Patricia ... So, we haven’t solved the problem.”.
Mountain Lion Killing In California Wine Country Sparks Anger – CBS ...
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/02/12/napa-mountain-lion-killing-anger/
Feb 12, 2019 - The Press Democrat reports Tuesday the mountain lion was trapped last week and fitted with an electronic collar as part of an Audubon ...
Napa family faces backlash after killing mountain lion - SFGate
https://www.sfgate.com/.../Mountain-lion-killing-in-California-wine-county-1361026...
Feb 12, 2019 - She said she also feared for the safety of their three young children, as the ... Last July, a mountain lion that killed a goat in Kenwood was put ...
Mountain Lion Killed in Napa Sparks Anger | FOX40
https://fox40.com/2019/02/12/mountain-lion-killed-in-napa-sparks-anger/
Feb 12, 2019 - NAPA (AP) — A fatally shot young mountain lion in Northern California that ... She said they feared for the safety of their three young children. ... the animal, but they did not need one if their livestock was in imminent danger.
Mountain lion shot and killed after attacking sheep in Napa - ABC7 News
https://abc7news.com/pets-animals/mountain-lion-shot-killed-after...napa/5135318/
Feb 12, 2019 - Mountain lion shot and killed after attacking sheep in Napa ... “When you feel like your children and your livestock are being so threatened you ...
Young mountain lion shot dead in Napa area after preying on two sheep
www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9272285-181/young-mountain-lion-shot-dead
Feb 11, 2019 - Young mountain lion shot dead in Napa area after preying on two sheep ... concern for the safety of three young children and their small family herd amid ... In each case, those killed were young lions still learning to hunt and believed ... but also did not need to have one if the livestock is in imminent danger.
Young mountain lion shot and killed by Napa homeowner days after it ...
https://www.latimes.com/local/.../la-me-ln-mountain-lion-shot-20190212-story.html
Feb 12, 2019 - A recently collared mountain lion was shot and killed by Napa ... Tira said state law requires residents who wish to kill problem cats to apply for a ... the Press Democrat that she feared for the safety of their three young children.
Turkey-hunting teen kills mountain lion | News | napavalleyregister.com
https://napavalleyregister.com/...kills-mountain-lion/article_fee9becb-f4ba-54df-b780-6...
Apr 7, 2004 - Turkey-hunting teen kills mountain lion ... “I thought it was going to kill me. ... “Based on my findings so far, the boys’ account of what happened appears to ...
Napa County teen kills mountain lion | The Weekly Calistogan ...
https://napavalleyregister.com/.../napa...kills-mountain-lion/article_643da2b7-10dd-5...
Apr 8, 2004 - Napa County teen kills mountain lion .... “Based on my findings so far, the boys’ account of what happened appears to be legitimate and that ...
California mountain lion shot dead by landowners after preying on ...
https://www.foxnews.com/.../california-mountain-lion-shot-dead-by-landowners-after-pr...
Feb 12, 2019 - Colorado man kills mountain lion with bare hands ... Alejandra Calderon, of Napa, estimated the mountain lion was only about 20 feet ... In the event a big cat is posing a danger to livestock, proper documents ... Healthy Living · Medical Research · Mental Health · Cancer · Heart Health · Children’s Health ..
“A better option than trying to pry it’s mouth open would be to gouge its eyes.”
It was an angry woman.
Don’t ruin some fun California bashing with facts and stuff.
In neither of the two cases cited in those articles were there any legal repercussions.
“If you see a cougar/mountain lion, that is because it wanted you to see it.’
Or, the scent of small game stowed in a carry pouch placed high above ground, carried on the wind. Watched that one run away without making any sound. Game & Fish always denied these large black cats exists.
She’s welcome to maul me any time; I won’t even fight back.
There are wolves on Vancouver Island as well.
The island is 300 miles long and 65 miles wide. It’s pretty hard to eliminate anything in mountainous terrain that extensive.
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