cougar
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says they're investigating a cougar attack in Stevens County Saturday morning, May 28.

A 9-year-old girl was attending a camp near Fruitland when she was injured in a cougar attack. WDFW says the girl was transported to a hospital, where she'd receiving treatment. The cougar was killed at the scene.

WDFW said in their release, "Our primary thoughts are with the girl and the family."

Investigation is on-going, and they will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.


Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. The first fatal cougar attack in Washington state was reported in 1924, and state authorities have recorded just 20 further cougar-human encounters that resulted in injury, with a second fatal attack occurring in 2018.

While rare, however, those living in cougar county can take prudent preventative measure to reduce chances of conflict, including lighting all walkways on the property, pruning shrubs and trees around play areas, closing off under areas, and not feeding feral or domestic animals outside.