8-Year-Old Survives Cougar Attack In Washington State National Park

Port Angeles, WASH. (NPS) – At 6:30 PM on Saturday, July 29, Olympic National Park was notified that an 8-year-old child was attacked by a cougar while camping at Lake Angeles, which is in the Heart O’ the Hills area south of Port Angeles. The cougar casually abandoned its attack after being yelled and screamed at by the child’s mother. Park personnel quickly responded and once the child’s medical condition was assessed and stabilized, the family was escorted back to the trailhead by park personnel. The child survived the attack with minor injuries and was taken to the local hospital for further evaluation. All remaining campers in the Lake Angeles area have been evacuated and access to the Lake Angeles and Heather Park areas are closed to the public until further notice.

“Due to the extreme nature of this incident, we are closing the Lake Angeles area and several trails in the vicinity,” said Olympic National Park Wildlife Biologist, Tom Kay. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Lake Angeles Trail, Heather Park Trail, Switchback Trail, and the entire Klahhane Ridge Trail are closed until further notice.”

At 5:00 AM on July 30, park law enforcement and wildlife personnel specializing in cougar tracking were dispatched to the cougar’s last known point at Lake Angeles. If the cougar is located, it will be euthanized and removed from the park for a necropsy. This may provide clues as to why the animal attacked since cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare.

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