9-Year-Old Girl Miraculously Escaped, Conscious in ICU and ‘Fully Alert’ After Being Threatened By Cougar Attack

After being threatened by a cougar during a Memorial Day Weekend camping trip in northwest Washington, a 9-year-old girl miraculously escaped. Lily Kryzhanivskyy, young Lily, is still in the ICU, according to her family, but she was awake and speaking as of Monday.

“She is fully aware of what happened to her, she can speak clearly, think clearly, move her arms and legs,” her aunt, Alex Mantsevich, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up on her behalf.

Lily was at camp for kids near Fruitland. When she and her pals ventured up a trail to find the cougar, they were approximately an hour and a half outside of Spokane. Associated Press.

According to the People, Lily’s two friends were able to save her while she fought back. Adults at camp discovered Lily covered in blood, according to the Associated Press. They called for assistance while another camper tracked down the young male cougar.

“I don’t have any details about what happened in the attack, but my understanding is that it was so fast, there’s nothing she could’ve done,” Staci Lehman, spokesperson Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), told the media that she was quoting from Fox 28 Spokane.

However, authorities continue to investigate the attack.

“We’re also preparing the cougar carcass to be tested for diseases — to see if it was sick, ill, starving, or anything like that—to help determine what would spur an attack,” Lehman declared.

Cougar attacks, according to authorities, are extremely rare. In the last 100 years, only two people have died and 19 have been injured as a result of them.

As per CNN, however, Lehman advised that if someone does encounter a cougar, “Make noise when you’re hiking, carry bear spray, give the cougar space, make eye contact with it, walk backward – never turn your back and never run. If the cougar becomes aggressive, you should make yourself as large as you can and yell at him.

“If it acts like it is going to attack, throw rocks, a water bottle, or use your bear spray,” Lehman continued. “If it does attack, do your best to stay on your feet and fight back. Don’t play dead with a cougar.”