Woman airlifted to hospital after cougar attack in B.C.'s Fraser Valley

A woman is in stable condition after a cougar attack in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, says the province's conservation service. 

The woman was in her yard early Tuesday morning on a rural property in the Harrison Mills area, west of Agassiz, when she was attacked by a cougar, said the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS).

The service said a man helped chase the cougar off the woman. 

A person phoned 911 to report the attack just before 8:15 a.m. PT, said B.C. Emergency Health Services. 

Dispatchers sent one air ambulance and three ground ambulances to the scene.

"The patient was cared for by paramedics and then transported in serious condition by helicopter to a trauma hospital," read an email from the service.

Cougar attacks rare

In an update Tuesday afternoon, the service said the woman remains in hospital. The service did not release her age but said she's an adult. 

BCCOS said the cougar has yet to be found. The service's predator attack team secured the attack site and were still on the scene later Tuesday. 

The team is trying to figure out the circumstances of the attack and are examining evidence at the scene, the service said. Officers are also trying to track and identify the cougar involved. 

BCCOS is asking the public to avoid the Weaver Creek Road area for now. 

Cougars, also referred to as mountain lions, live across the southern third of B.C. Encounters with humans are rare, let alone attacks. Children under the age of 16 are most vulnerable.

The province has recorded an average of two to three non-fatal cougar attacks each year since 2010, according to data from B.C.'s environment ministry. 

There hasn't been a fatal attack in more than 20 years.