Boy, 7, attacked by cougar in central Alberta

Warning: This story contains disturbing content.

A seven-year-old boy is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a cougar north of Rocky Mountain House on the weekend.

Chay Feuser, Cason Feuser’s mom, said her son was staying with his two sisters and a family friend, Alishea, at a campsite near Buster Creek, Alta., Sunday morning when the animal attacked.

She said the kids were heading back to the trailer when the cougar latched onto Cason’s head and neck, sending the other children screaming.

“Alishea jumps – flies – out of her lawn chair and runs down there and just grabs a big rock off the beach and just closes her eyes and throws it and prays to God she doesn’t hit Cason,” Chay said. “And thank God she hit the cougar right in the head and it startled him and he dropped Cason from his death grip.”

STARS flew Cason to the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton in stable condition, where he underwent surgery.

Chay said he received over 200 staples and surgical camps and stitches in his head, neck and chest. He will need dental surgery later, she adds, to remove a damaged tooth from where the cougar's tooth hit Cason’s jaw.

“Tried giving him a shower this morning and he saw a glimpse of himself in the mirror and just absolutely broke down,” she said, adding that there are mental health professionals lined up to work with all the kids. “But I think every day from this point will be getting better.”

At the end of the day, Chay said it was a miracle her son Cason wasn't hurt worse.

“You’re always scared of cougars, but you never think it would happen,” she said.

“The fact that [it] wasn't a full-grown cougar was what saved his life.” 

Cason, 7, was attacked by a cougar while camping near Rocky Mountain House on July 31, 2022. (Courtesy: Chay Feuser)

COUGAR EUTHANIZED 

A sub-adult female cougar was euthanized earlier 150 metres from the site of the attack, Alberta Fish and Wildlife Insp. Rob Kohut told CTV News.

The area was closed until Tuesday morning when a forensic lab confirmed with DNA that the cougar was responsible for attacking the boy. 

Under the Canada Council on Animal Care Guidelines, Alberta may euthanize a cougar if it is conditioned to feed on unnatural food sources or frequent in human-use areas, or is a threat or has attacked a pet, livestock, or a human, whether provoked or not. 

Cason, 7, was attacked by a cougar while camping near Rocky Mountain House on July 31, 2022. (Courtesy: Chay Feuser)

COUGAR PRECAUTIONS

Kohut called cougar encounters rare as the animals are normally shy of humans and will typically leave the area if they know humans are nearby. However, he advised taking precautions: 

• Travel in groups and carry some form of protection, such as bear spray.
• If you see a cougar in the distance, do not run or turn your back. If the cougar appears unaware of your presence, gather children and pets in close and slowly back out of the area.
• If the cougar is hissing and snarling or staring and tracking your movements, do not run or play dead. Make yourself look big and speak loudly.
• If the cougar makes contact, fight back and don't give up. Use all means at your disposal.
• Never feed any kind of wildlife in order to help prevent cougars and other predators from coming to your neighbourhood. Attracting wildlife such as deer or small animals will, in turn, attract cougars and other predators. Urban deer that get food from unnatural sources tend to become slower and more docile, making them easier prey and perhaps making cougars more likely to enter human-use areas if the deer there are easier to catch. 

More tips are available online.