'Tough And Brave' 9-Year-Old Girl Survives Cougar Attack At Church Camp

SPOKANE -- A 9-year-old girl has sustained multiple wounds after being attacked by a cougar at a church camp in Washington.

Lily A Kryzhanivskyy was camping near the small town of Fruitland, northwest of the city of Spokane, and playing hide-and-seek with two other children when the incident took place Saturday morning, NBC News reported. The cougar attacked Lily as she jumped out to surprise her friends.

The friends ran away from the spot as Lily fought back. Some people in the area rushed to Lily's aid. She was found covered in blood.

Lily was taken to a hospital with multiple wounds to her head and upper body. She underwent surgery and was released from intensive care Monday. She still remains hospitalized, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said in a news release Tuesday.

Some adults at the church camp found the male cougar after the attack and killed the animal. Tests confirmed that the cougar did not have rabies.

"We are extremely thankful for this little girl's resiliency, and we're impressed with her spunk in the face of this unfortunate encounter," said Captain Mike Sprecher, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police. "It happened fast, and we are thankful that the adults at the camp responded so quickly."

A GoFundMe page was set up to help Lily's family meet her medical expenses. It has raised more than $76,700 so far.

"She is fully aware of what happened to her, she can speak clearly, think clearly, move her arms and legs. She talks to her mom and dad, but Lots of recovery ahead," said an update on the page.

Cougar attacks on humans are rare. Only two fatalities were reported in the state in the last century. There were 19 other attacks that resulted in injuries, according to WDFW.

"Wild animals don't care to be around humans any more than we want to have close encounters with them," Sprecher said.

"In this instance, this little girl did nothing wrong," said Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Staci Lehman. "It happened so quickly, and there's nothing she could have done to prevent it."

She said one should yell and make themself look bigger if attacked by a cougar. Do not run or take your eyes away from the cougar; stay on your feet and fight back instead, Lehman added.

She also praised Lily for being "tough and brave" during the attack.

"We are extremely relieved that Lily is showing definite signs of recovery and that her spirit seems to be good," she told People. "She asked us to let people know that she is okay and she is 'tough and brave.' And we completely agree – she is tough and brave!"