Cason Foiser is suffering nightmares and undergoing intensive surgery after a cougar attack Sunday morning that his mother says nearly took his life.
Chai Foiser, Cason’s mother, says her children went camping with a neighbor and her children over the weekend in the Rocky Mountain House area.
The six kids were playing by the river when Chai says out of nowhere a cougar started attacking Cason.
“The kids turned and just started screaming and running [our neighbour]screaming, “Cougar, cougar, cougar!” she told CBC News.
Chai said the neighbor grabbed a rock and threw it at the cougar. It hit the cougar in the head and freed “Cason from its death grip,” she said.
Cason was transported by STARS Air Ambulance to the University of Alberta Hospital in stable condition.
There, he underwent three and a half hours of surgery, according to Chai.
“He has more than 200 staples and surgical staples right on top of his skull and many more fine stitches on his face, neck and throat. He just pulled the drainage tube out of his neck. He’s on morphine. Tylenol and Advil are not enough to reduce the pain,” Chai said.
The cougar missed Cason’s jugular vein by millimeters, Chey said. Because the animal was smaller, it was unable to penetrate the boy’s skull.
Cason was hospitalized after the attack. (Chey Foiser/Facebook)
Later that day, Alberta Fish and Wildlife located and euthanized the cougar just 150 meters from where the attack occurred.
Rob Kohut of the Fish and Wildlife Service said that while cougar attacks are rare, it’s important to be careful when you’re outdoors.
“If you see a cougar in the distance, do not run or turn your back,” he said in an emailed statement.
“If a cougar hisses and growls or stares intently and watches your movements, don’t run or play dead. Look big and talk loud. If the cougar makes contact, hit back and don’t back down. Use all means at your disposal. “
Despite his severe injuries, Chai says Cason was more concerned about whether the other children had been attacked and whether they were safe.
“He was crying a lot and he made sure all the other people who were there with him were okay. He kept asking about his sister and if the cougar had just got him and if they were okay.’
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