9-Year-Old Wakes Up From Coma After Cougar Attack

A cougar attacked a 9-year-old child in Washington, USA, as she was playing outside.

When Lily Kryzhanivskyy was playing hide and seek with her pals at a campsite close to Fruitland, Washington, a cougar pounced on her, severely striking her, and tried to pull her into the woods.

Her friends moved swiftly to get adults to assist in chasing the big cat away.

Yelena Kryzhanivskyy, Lily’s mother, told reporters; “They were playing hide and seek. She jumped out from her hiding spot to surprise a friend and a cougar jumped on her and attacked her.”

The attacks took place at 11 a.m., with the cougar approaching the 9-year-old in the open and during full daylight. Lily was soon taken to the hospital and placed in the intensive care unit after assistance arrived.

People in the vicinity were trying their best to divert the cougar before authorities arrived at the incident, with some even hurling stones at the wild animal.

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Two days after her extensive operation, Lily was finally able to come out of her coma. She was delighted to speak with her mother about the incident and the ensuing media attention.

In an interview with the television channel, her mother went into more detail, saying: “She knew it was a big deal, what happened to her, and she had seen some media coverage. She was a little disappointed that people didn’t know who she was.

“She did tell me that she wanted people to know that she is very tough and very brave.”

Yelana explained how the cougar was ultimately put to death.

“Someone that was there did respond and did kill the cougar, pretty much immediately. So that happened very quickly.

“Was the cougar starving? Was it sick? Anything like that that may have led to it being more apt to attack.”

Wildlife authorities tested the animal and discovered that it was free of any diseases, including rabies, that might have contributed to the attack. The reason the cougar attacked the 9-year-old is still a mystery to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Only 20 cougar assaults have occurred in the state of Washington during the past century, making them extremely uncommon.