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By Brock Cullen

Cougar Attack

Seven-year-old boy in good spirits after cougar attack near Rocky Mountain House

Aug 3, 2022 | 5:51 PM

A seven-year-old boy is recovering from his injuries following a cougar attack near Rocky Mountain House over the August long weekend.

Chay Feuser, says her son Cason Feuser, is suffering from nightmares and has gone through a 3.5 hour surgery following the attack that nearly took his life Sunday morning.

Chay says her kids went camping with their neighbour and her children on the weekend and recalls where she was when she got the phone call.

“I was up in Dawson Creek visiting my husband who is working away. I just got back from a walk when my friend Alishea called, and I answered, and she just went straight to the point and said, Chay, Cason has been attacked by a cougar, you need to get in your truck right now, he’s going to be okay.”

Chay admits to having a hard time processing what she had just heard from her friend, conceding she hung up the phone and panicked at that point. Chay recalls, however, pacing for a couple of minutes and hyperventilating before calling her husband.

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When Chay got a hold of her husband, he said he was on his way to pick her up and when he arrived, they went straight to the Dawson Creek airport where they had a plane coming to pick them up and take them to Edmonton.

Chay says the cougar’s two bottom teeth went into Cason’s jaw bone, while two of the cougar’s top teeth were on top of Cason’s head. Cason suffered a fractured jaw bone in the attack with one of the cougar’s teeth also rupturing inside Cason’s mouth near his baby molars, which Chay said will be a concern later down the road. Chay says Cason has received over 200 staples and surgical plants on his scalp, with many more fine stitches, also put in by a plastic surgeon.

While in hospital, Cason was also hooked up to a draining tube, which Chay says has since been taken out.

She says Cason is now home, with the plan going forward to make sure he is rested.

Chay shares that Cason is turning back into his normal self, as he had many people come over to see him, noting that Cason wants to play hockey with his friends.
An emotional Chay expressed, “Alishea (who was an ICU nurse at the Red Deer Regional Hospital) 100 per cent saved his life, she is an absolute hero. She was the one who got the cougar off him and knew exactly what to do when the cougar ran off.”

Inspector Rob Kohurt, with Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services, says on the afternoon of July 31, a sub-adult cougar was captured and euthanized by Fish and Wildlife officers approximately 150 metres from the attack location. Kohurt describes the location as an area from where the Baptiste River flows into the North Saskatchewan River upstream to the bridge crossing at the Baptiste River, which was closed off.

“Closure at the site was removed the morning of August 2, after the forensic lab was able to confirm through DNA analysis, the female cougar euthanized, was responsible for the attack.”

Kohurt added cougar encounters are rare as most cougars are normally shy of humans and will typically leave the area if they know humans are nearby. Although encounters are rare, says Kohurt, it is important to know what precautions to take and what to do if you encounter a cougar:

• We always recommend traveling in groups and carrying some form of protection, such as bear spray. Be prepared to use bear spray when outdoors during any time of year.

• If you see a cougar in the distance, do not run or turn your back.

• If the cougar appears to be unaware of your presence, gather children and pets in close, slowly and cautiously back away and leave the area.

• If a cougar is hissing and snarling or staring intently and tracking your movements, do not run, and do not play dead. Make yourself look big and speak loudly. If the cougar makes contact, fight back and don’t give up. Use all means at your disposal.

“It’s also critical to never feed any kind of wildlife in order to help prevent cougars and other predators from coming to your neighbourhood,” says Kohurt. “Cougars are efficient predators that feed largely on deer and small mammals. Feeding or leaving fallen bird seed or salt licks that attract wildlife, such as deer or small animals to your property, will, in turn, attract cougars and other predators.”

“Urban deer that get food from unnatural sources tend to become slower and more docile, making them easier prey for cougars and other predators,” he continues. “Cougars may be more likely to enter human-use areas if the deer there are easier to catch.”