Girl, 9, was found covered in blood with wounds to her head and body after bravely fighting off a rare cougar attack

A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl has been discharged from intensive care after being attacked by a cougar over the weekend.

Lily Kryzhanivskyy was playing hide and seek with her friends at a camp near Fruitland, Washington on Saturday when a cougar suddenly attacked her.

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Adults rushed to the scene and found Lily covered in blood before being flown to a hospital.

The girl had to undergo surgery for wounds to her head and torso.

Lily’s mother called her daughter’s recovery “amazing” and told WDFW that Lily wants people to know she’s been “very brave and tough.”

“We are very grateful for this little girl’s resilience and we are impressed by her courage in the face of this unfortunate encounter,” Fish and Wildlife Police Captain Mike Sprecher said in a written statement.

“It went quickly and we are grateful that the adults in the camp reacted so quickly.”

A GoFundMe was created by Lily’s family to help cover her medical expenses and time off from work while Lily’s mother, Yelena, cares for her.

So far, the fundraiser has raised $72,000 from a goal of $100,000 in just two days.

The cougar that attacked Lilly was killed at the scene and tested, which showed he did not have rabies. According to the WDFW, this was the first Puma attack in Washington state in 2022.

“In this case, this little girl did nothing wrong,” said Staci Lehman, a spokeswoman for Fish and Wildlife.

“It happened so quickly, and there was nothing she could have done about it.”

The attacks are extremely rare in the state, with only 20 attacks on people in the past 100 years. Only two deaths resulted from these attacks.

If you’re attacked by a cougar, experts advise yelling at the animal and trying to make yourself look bigger.

“Don’t turn around. Keep your eyes on the animal,” Lehman said. “Don’t run.”

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