"A young cougar has been destroyed after pouncing on a two-year-old girl in her own backyard in a remote community on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The attack happened at around 12:30 p.m. Monday at a property in the town of Tahsis, B.C., according to the BC Conservation Officer Service.

“Our understanding is that the child was just outside in her yard with her parents in close proximity, and the cougar just attacked her there,” said Sgt. Ben York.

The father immediately jumped in to pull the cougar off his daughter, and beat the animal back with his bare hands, he said.

The child was rushed to hospital and treated for some scratches and teeth marks, but was otherwise miraculously unharmed and released from care shortly after.

“I think it in large part had to do with her parents being so close and her dad being willing to have a good, strong right hook,” York said.

The first conservation officer to respond found a cougar near the scene and destroyed the animal.
Police also attended, and trained hounds were used to sniff out any other cougars in the area.

York said it appeared to be a young cat that could possibly still belong to a family, or was just dispersing from its family unit.

He said it’s not unusual to see cougars or bears in Tahsis, but there haven’t been any recent reports of animal attacks".

BC dad slugs cougar that attacked 2 year old daughter

http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/b-c-dad-slugs-cougar-that-attacked-two-year-old-daughter-1.2574512