Young boy's dogs save him from being devoured by mountain lion

LEAVENWORTH, Washington — A cougar attacked a child Saturday evening in a city park in Leavenworth, Washington. The big cat was spotted Saturday afternoon in Enchantment Park and was acting abnormally, according to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife statement. Officials searched the park for the cougar, but were unable to find it. The city then closed the park. However, around dusk on Saturday the cougar attacked a young boy. The boy’s two dogs fought the cougar, eventually running the big cat off. The boy suffered only minor injuries. “The cougar came out and did attack the child,” said WDFW Capt. Michael Jewell. “They had some dogs with them that they turned loose. The dogs intervened and were able to successfully chase the cougar away.” WDFW officers searched the park again, eventually finding and killing the cougar Sunday at 1:30 a.m. The cougar was a young adult male and did not appear to be unhealthy, according to WDFW biologists who visually examined the animal. WDFW will conduct further testing. Enchantment Park is in the heart of downtown Leavenworth, near the Wenatchee River. The park has a playground, play fields and hiking trails. Wildlife are not an uncommon sight, according to the city of Leavenworth’s website. There have been several recent high-profile cougar attacks in Washington and nationwide. On May 19, 2018, a cougar attacked two mountain bikers near Seattle, eventually killing one of them. In February, a runner in Colorado killed a cougar with his bare hands after being attacked on a trail...MORE