cougar victim fully recovered (Kamloops)

[Emily]

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/200 ... 5-sun.html

from the Calgary Sun

Mon, February 18, 2008
Boy attacked by cougar loving life
UPDATED: 2008-02-18 02:35:31 MST


By TARINA WHITE


Six months after a cougar mauling left Colton Reeb with 300 stitches in his face and head, it's almost impossible to tell the 13-year-old suffered the horrific ordeal.

Robin Reeb, Colton's father, said he's amazed at his son's miraculous recovery.

"Unless you look at him very close, you can't tell," he said about the fine scars on Colton's face.

Last August, Colton was camping about 100 km northwest of Kamloops when he was ambushed by a cougar.

Family friend Mark Patterson tried to rescue Colton by kicking the cougar in the head several times, to no avail.




Then he grabbed the animal in a choke hold and wrestled with it until the cougar broke free.

Colton, then 12, was flown by helicopter to B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver with non-life-threatening bite and claw wounds to his face, neck, head and upper chest.

A team of four plastic surgeons spent hours stitching up his wounds, and Colton remained in hospital for a week to recover, said Robin.

"He's doing so well -- he's absolutely phenomenal," said Robin.

"He's really popular with girls now, they really like his scars."

[Spanky]

My hat goes off to the family friend who risked his life to save the boy and also to the team of surgeons that took the time to see that this young man was not scared for life.

any of you BC fellas know of this incident?

[houndogger]

Ya it made the news last summer. They caught the cat.