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Mother reveals how she fought off a 'starving' cougar that pounced on her son, 7, by fish-hooking the animal to pry its jaws open and free the boy's arm during terrifying attack in their backyard
Published: 09:32 EDT, 3 April 2019 | Updated: 10:10 EDT, 3 April 2019
A Canadian woman is crediting her 'mom instinct' for helping her find the courage to pounce on a cougar that was attacking her seven-year-old son in their backyard.
Chelsea Lockhart was doing chores inside her home in Vancouver Island on Friday when she heard her son Zachary struggling with something outside.
She sprinted to the backyard, where she saw her little boy being attacked by a cougar.
'I could hear his voice, I could hear struggling, so I ran down the stairs and ran to his voice and turned the corner, and I see this animal on my child,' she told CTV.
Chelsea Lockhart credits her 'mom instinct' for helping her find the courage to pounce on a cougar that was attacking her seven-year-old son in their backyard last week
Lockhart was doing chores inside her home in Vancouver Island on Friday when she heard her son Zachary (pictured together) struggling with something outside
'He was on the ground and the cougar was attached to his arm.'
Zachary had ventured to the waterfront area of the family's home in Lake Cowichan when the cougar had begun running toward him.
A mesh fence on the property gave Zachary some time to run, but the cougar managed to get through the fence and pounced on him.
'I looked at him and I just thought, "Oh my god, my kid could die right before my eyes,"' Lockhart recalled. 'All you think is, "What can you do? What can you do in your own physical strength?"'
The mother said she doesn't know where she gained the strength, but she fish-hooked the animal by the mouth and managed to pry him off.
'I had a mom instinct. I just leaped on it and I tried to pry its mouth open.'
As the mother-of-six desperately tried to unhook the cougar's jaw from her son's arm, she began to pray.
'I knew that in my own power and in my own strength, I wasn't going to be able to pry its mouth open, so I started praying,' she said.
She sprinted to the backyard (pictured), where she saw her little boy being attacked by a cougar. She immediately pounced
As the mother-of-six desperately tried to unhook the cougar's jaw from her son's arm, she began to pray. 'Three sentences into me praying, it released and it ran away,' she said
'Three sentences into me praying, it released and it ran away.'
Zachary was then rushed to the hospital, where he was treated for a four-centimeter gash to his head, as well as injuries to his neck and arms.
The thick sweatshirt he was wearing at the time of the attack helped protect his neck from the cougar's claws and teeth.
Lockhart said her son is expected to make a full recovery and has been recuperating at his grandmother's house.
'We are definitely well on our way to recovery and Zach is resting at his grandma's house, having some one-on-one time there,' she said.
Zachary had ventured to the waterfront area of their home (pictured) in Lake Cowichan when the cougar attacked him. The family's mesh fence bought Zack some time to run, but the animal came through the fence and jumped on him
'His stitches are healing. He is well on his way to being fully recovered.'
Lockhart and her husband Kevin Bromley said they are also working to make sure the attack doesn't impact their son 'mentally or traumatically'.
And while they plan to set up a live trap and camera in the backyard, Lockhart said she has no plans to force her children to stay indoors.
'If the kids see us as parents being apprehensive and being fearful, then they can imitate that behavior,' she said.
'So I'm just constantly reassuring them that the conservation officers dealt with the cougars, and talking to them about normal cougar behavior and how this is a very odd circumstance.
Shortly after the attack, the couple's daughter spotted a second cougar nearby. Conservation officers (pictured) located the two cougars and they were both euthanized
Shortly after the attack, the couple's daughter spotted a second cougar nearby.
Conservation officers located the two cougars, which they said were both juvenile males, about 20 yards from the family's home. They were euthanized.
The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said the animals were 'quite thin' and were likely both hungry and looking for food.
A necropsy revealed the animals were likely starving at the time of the attack. It is believed the cougars had been separated from their mother for many months.
'We're so grateful that Zach is going to be okay and that he's alive,' Lockhart said.
'I like to say I'm doing okay because the circumstances could've been a lot worse, and we've got our baby boy.'
A necropsy revealed the animals were likely starving at the time of the attack. It is believed the cougars had been separated from their mother for many months (file image)
- Chelsea Lockhart was doing chores when she heard her son struggling outside
- A cougar had attacked Zachary Bromley while he was playing after school
- Lockhart ran outside and saw the cougar attached to his arm, dragging him away
- She immediately jumped on the cougar and pried its jaws open herself to help
- Zachary suffered a gash to the head and injuries to his arm but is recovering
Published: 09:32 EDT, 3 April 2019 | Updated: 10:10 EDT, 3 April 2019
A Canadian woman is crediting her 'mom instinct' for helping her find the courage to pounce on a cougar that was attacking her seven-year-old son in their backyard.
Chelsea Lockhart was doing chores inside her home in Vancouver Island on Friday when she heard her son Zachary struggling with something outside.
She sprinted to the backyard, where she saw her little boy being attacked by a cougar.
'I could hear his voice, I could hear struggling, so I ran down the stairs and ran to his voice and turned the corner, and I see this animal on my child,' she told CTV.
Chelsea Lockhart credits her 'mom instinct' for helping her find the courage to pounce on a cougar that was attacking her seven-year-old son in their backyard last week
Lockhart was doing chores inside her home in Vancouver Island on Friday when she heard her son Zachary (pictured together) struggling with something outside
'He was on the ground and the cougar was attached to his arm.'
Zachary had ventured to the waterfront area of the family's home in Lake Cowichan when the cougar had begun running toward him.
A mesh fence on the property gave Zachary some time to run, but the cougar managed to get through the fence and pounced on him.
'I looked at him and I just thought, "Oh my god, my kid could die right before my eyes,"' Lockhart recalled. 'All you think is, "What can you do? What can you do in your own physical strength?"'
The mother said she doesn't know where she gained the strength, but she fish-hooked the animal by the mouth and managed to pry him off.
'I had a mom instinct. I just leaped on it and I tried to pry its mouth open.'
As the mother-of-six desperately tried to unhook the cougar's jaw from her son's arm, she began to pray.
'I knew that in my own power and in my own strength, I wasn't going to be able to pry its mouth open, so I started praying,' she said.
She sprinted to the backyard (pictured), where she saw her little boy being attacked by a cougar. She immediately pounced
As the mother-of-six desperately tried to unhook the cougar's jaw from her son's arm, she began to pray. 'Three sentences into me praying, it released and it ran away,' she said
'Three sentences into me praying, it released and it ran away.'
Zachary was then rushed to the hospital, where he was treated for a four-centimeter gash to his head, as well as injuries to his neck and arms.
The thick sweatshirt he was wearing at the time of the attack helped protect his neck from the cougar's claws and teeth.
Lockhart said her son is expected to make a full recovery and has been recuperating at his grandmother's house.
'We are definitely well on our way to recovery and Zach is resting at his grandma's house, having some one-on-one time there,' she said.
Zachary had ventured to the waterfront area of their home (pictured) in Lake Cowichan when the cougar attacked him. The family's mesh fence bought Zack some time to run, but the animal came through the fence and jumped on him
'His stitches are healing. He is well on his way to being fully recovered.'
Lockhart and her husband Kevin Bromley said they are also working to make sure the attack doesn't impact their son 'mentally or traumatically'.
And while they plan to set up a live trap and camera in the backyard, Lockhart said she has no plans to force her children to stay indoors.
'If the kids see us as parents being apprehensive and being fearful, then they can imitate that behavior,' she said.
'So I'm just constantly reassuring them that the conservation officers dealt with the cougars, and talking to them about normal cougar behavior and how this is a very odd circumstance.
Shortly after the attack, the couple's daughter spotted a second cougar nearby. Conservation officers (pictured) located the two cougars and they were both euthanized
Shortly after the attack, the couple's daughter spotted a second cougar nearby.
Conservation officers located the two cougars, which they said were both juvenile males, about 20 yards from the family's home. They were euthanized.
The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said the animals were 'quite thin' and were likely both hungry and looking for food.
A necropsy revealed the animals were likely starving at the time of the attack. It is believed the cougars had been separated from their mother for many months.
'We're so grateful that Zach is going to be okay and that he's alive,' Lockhart said.
'I like to say I'm doing okay because the circumstances could've been a lot worse, and we've got our baby boy.'
A necropsy revealed the animals were likely starving at the time of the attack. It is believed the cougars had been separated from their mother for many months (file image)
