PORT ANGELES— An eight-year-old child survived an attack by a cougar in Olympic National Park.

About 6:30 Saturday night, ONP was alerted to the attack at Lake Angeles, which is in the Heart O’ the Hills area south of Port Angeles.

ONP officials say the cougar casually abandoned its attack after being yelled and screamed at by the child’s mother. Park personnel responded, and once the child’s medical condition was assessed and stabilized, the family was escorted back to the trailhead by park personnel. The child survived the attack with minor injuries and was taken to Olympic Medical Center for further evaluation. ONP evacuated all remaining campers in the Lake Angeles area and closed access until further notice.

Early Sunday morning, park law enforcement and wildlife personnel specializing in cougar tracking were dispatched to the cougar’s last known point at Lake Angeles. Officials say if the cougar is located, it will be euthanized and removed from the park for a necropsy. They say that may provide clues as to why the animal attacked, as cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are rare.