In an incredibly rare occurrence, a little 9-year-old girl in Washington state was stalked and attacked by a literal cougar while playing hide-and-seek with her friends.
From CNN:
A 9-year-old girl is recovering at a hospital in Washington state after being attacked by a cougar while playing hide-and-seek outdoors with her friends, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Lily Kryzhanivskyy was attacked Saturday as she jumped out to surprise her friends, the department said in a statement. The children had been attending a camp near Fruitland in northeastern Washington, about 70 miles from Spokane.
Lily was taken to a hospital for treatment, where she is out of the intensive care unit and making an "amazing" recovery, her mother said in the statement.
This little girl was playing in the woods at camp like you're supposed to do as a little kid, and out of nowhere this mountain lion up and attacked her.
A 9-year-old girl versus a mountain lion sounds like it should be a fatal event. However, Lily was able to bravely fight for her life and at the end of the day it was the cougar who ultimately ended up being killed.
"We are extremely thankful for this little girl's resiliency and we're impressed with her spunk, in the face of this unfortunate encounter," said the wildlife department's Capt. Mike Sprecher. "It happened fast and we are thankful that the adults at the camp responded so quickly."
Lily "wants people to know she was ‘very brave and tough' in the face of the attack," the statement said.
The young male cougar that attacked Lily has been killed, the statement said, and tests showed the animal didn't have rabies.
Lily must have learned her cougar fighting skills from the guy on a buffalo. Punch that cougar in the face!
Here's a local news story about this event.
This girl is so strong. What an inspiration. She credits her faith for getting her through this attack. She just calmly prayed for survival.
Her friends threw rocks to get rid of the cougar.
A random passerby on an ATV brought her to safety.
Miracle upon miracle.
In the last century, only 2 people have been fatally mauled by a cougar in Washington. However, that's because the attacks are rare. The likelihood of survival is low and Lily's story is utterly incredible.
Here's wishing her a speedy recovery.
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