An Ahousaht father is thankful to be alive after escaping the claws of a full-grown hungry cougar Sept. 11.
John Frank Jr., 38, had just finished up work at the gravel pit in Ahousaht at about 5:30 p.m. when he realized he had forgotten his handset (portable VHF radio) in the excavator he was working on.
According to his father, elected Chief John O. Frank Sr., Frank Jr. was halfway back to his truck when he heard a loud whistle. He turned to look at the rock bluff to see a large cougar, which leapt 30 to 40 feet toward him.
John Jr. ran back toward the excavator but the cougar slammed him with such force into the vehicle tracks that his hip was bruised. The cougar sank its claws into the fabric of John’s pants, shredding them.
Frank Jr. made it to the excavator door but his heart sank when he realized he had locked the door. He made his way to the other side of the excavator, all the while fighting the cougar which was tearing up his clothes. When he reached a safe spot on the excavator he called for help on his radio.
It wasn’t long before rescuers arrived.
The Ahousaht gravel pit is located about halfway between the new Lot#363 subdivision and the old village. It was known for several cougar sightings two years before when the subdivision was first being worked on. That year local Mackenzie Charlie shot a cougar that made its way into the village.
The cougar that attacked John Frank Jr. is described as about 7 feet long, weighing about 150 to 200 lbs and very thin.
Port Alberni Conservation Officers were called immediately and arrived in the village that evening. School was cancelled today and families were asked to keep their children and pets indoors until the cougar was caught.
John Frank Jr. suffered only a bruised hip but was shaken by the attack.
“I’m just really glad he’s okay,” said Chief Frank. “It was really emotional for me and I cried like a big baby seeing him shaking like a leaf.”
Chief Frank said he held his youngest son in his arms and told him he would be fine.
Frank Jr. told the media he would still go back to work in that area because he won’t allow his life to be ruled by fear and because he has eight children to feed.
The family is planning to do some cleansing and healing work in an effort to deal with the emotional trauma.
Just over two weeks earlier, a starving female cougar was shot in Ehattesaht, just outside of Zeballos.
According to April Lucas, Ehattesaht First Nation Administrative Assistant, a woman, about age 20, was leaving the band office for the five-minute walk along the gravel road to the village when a cougar emerged from the bush just ahead of her.
The woman reported that the cougar didn’t seem to notice her and made its way across the road. Terrified, the young woman walked backwards all the way home.
When she reported the incident to her employers they called conservation officers but, according to Lucas, were told not to call unless there was a threat to human safety.
Lucas said the female cougar seemed to have attracted two male cougars to the area and all three cougars were spotted around the village all that weekend, including in the bushes near the playground.
Sam Johnson of Mowachaht/Muchalaht owns cougar hounds; he was asked to come to Ehattesaht to help hunt the cougars. Lucas said Johnson’s dogs were on the cougar scent within five minutes.
It wasn’t long before the female cougar was shot by Ehattesaht member Ernie Smith. According to Lucas, the cougar was thin with a sunken belly. She said the two male cougars appeared to have left the area after the female was shot.
Summer 2012 seems to have seen an increase in cougar attacks. On Aug. 15 a seven year-old boy survived a cougar attack at a rural campground on Sproat Lake near Port Alberni.
In August 2011, an 18-month-old boy was attacked by a cougar at a park on Kennedy Lake near Ucluelet. Family members fought off the cougar and the boy survived with injuries to his head.
These boys can be considered very lucky. In June, 1949, Dominic Taylor, age 7, was attacked and killed by a cougar while walking on a beach in Kyuquot.
