8-Year-Old Survives Cougar Attack After Big Cat Changes Its Mind

The only thing more terrifying than an angry cougar? A pissed-off mom.

Going mama bear mode helped one mother save her eight-year-old from a grisly fate while on a camping trip at Olympic National Park in Washington, this past weekend. Though the animal had begun attacking the child near Lake Angeles, the kid’s mother managed to throw enough of a fit to scare the big cat straight.

“The cougar casually abandoned its attack after being yelled and screamed at by the child’s mother,” the National Park Service wrote of the incident, noting that while the child in question only sustained “minor injuries,” they were still taken to the hospital following their close encounter.

Authorities shut down the area surrounding the attack to guests as teams are still on the lookout for the offending cougar, who will be killed if found, per the park’s attack protocols.

“This may provide clues as to why the animal attacked since cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare,” the statement continued.

Moral of the story? Sometimes causing a scene is well worth it, especially if it saves your child from becoming a big cat’s evening snack. To paraphrase a comment from Twitter user @angryseattle, “Someone got really fucking lucky the cougar wasn’t that hungry.”