VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 28 (UPI) -- A 4-year-old girl received serious head and scalp injuries when she was mauled by a cougar on Canada's Vancouver Island.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reports the attack was the second on the island in a month. Conservation officers say the cougars have become aggressive because of a shortage of prey animals.
This attack occurred Wednesday near the Keokuk River in Zeballos, B.C. The girl's family saved her by scaring the cougar off.
The girl was taken to a hospital in Campbell River and then by helicopter to Vancouver. She is expected to survive.
Conservation officers were attempting to find the cougar involved in the attack using tracking dogs.
Experts say that anyone who comes into contact with a cougar in the wild should try to look as large as possible, make a lot of noise and back off slowly.
